Self-editing and proofreading your novel

Writing novels is about the most fun a person can have with himself. At least, this was true a hundred years ago when there was no TV, internet or Wii. Nowadays, the author is the person who - through some deliberate passion, usually rooted in dreams of grandeur - locks the real world out and gives birth to an imaginary one.

I wrote my first novel in about a month, on spiral notebooks. I immediately paid a critical roommate to edit it. After a few chapters, she stopped trying to fix all the little stuff, because she recognized that it was, in fact, still pretty bad and would need serious re-writing. With a great deal of tact, she let me know that this was so. It was at least a year later when I could see it myself. I rewrote it entirely, expanded greatly on the plot and characters. It became a confused mess. 4 years later, I've done a lot of research, developed a very tight outline for the plot, and am confident that, next time it gets rewritten, it will be much better.

The moral of the story? Don't rush your novel!!

Here's what will happen if you do:
1) You finish quickly, pay an editor to fix the grammar and spelling, but can't find anyone to publish it because frankly, there are thousands of novels seeking publication every DAY and yours just isn't good enough.
2) You try and rewrite or edit yourself, but don't know where to start - hey, you think its just right and if nobody else can see that, its because the world isn't ready for your genius
3) You decide to self publish, buy 500 copies of your book and pawn them onto neighbors and family.
3) You give up, after having spent at least several hundred dollars.

Is there a better way? Of course. A professional editor (a good one at least, although they are rare and usually charge way too much) can seriously improve your novel. I know this, because I have - in my opinion - saved many novels myself. Many of the novels I edit are seriously flawed. They may have great ideas, great characters, and even be written very well (good use of language), but invariably there are serious plot flaws. The motivation for the characters isn't developed. There is no reasonable explanation of how things happen the way they do, rather than some other way. Things happen for no reason which interrupt the flow of the plot. Vast amounts of background information is given in monologue or narrative. My role, is to point these problems out to the author and say "Readers won't accept this!" Readers today are very critical. They want a smooth, intriguing story. They won't settle for less - and a publisher or agent is twice as picky.

I help writers re-hash and re-think and re-organize - in fact I make them do it. I don't write for them, but I do offer some options that they may develop. My questions and reactions force them to consider their novel from a reader's viewpoint. The result is a dramatically better manuscript, which can then be proofread or edited for perfection.

A final warning: So - if you are looking for an editor - make sure you find one that can work on the big stuff, before getting to the little stuff! Otherwise you're throwing money away.

http://www.perfect-english-editing.com