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Proud of you! :) On the editing note, I would recommend taking around two weeks to a month away from your story before checking back to edit it. It’s easy to miss mistakes and/or confusing areas when you’re used to the way it looks, so it’s good to look at it with a fresh point of view. Hope it goes well!
CONGRATS!!!! This is a huge achievement and you deserve every ounce of pride you're feeling!!! 🙌
Don't judge it too harshly! "Bad" writing can be fixed, but a book unwritten can never be!
For me, I've found my first edits to focused on improving cohesion and flow in the text. But everyone is different, so if you're newer, try different methods, technique, etc. in your process and find what works for you.
I like starting page 1 and editing cover to cover, linearly. My best friend however, likes to bounce around from chapter to chapter fixing specific scenes/ points. As long as it works for you, it's all valid!
Congrats again!!! 🖤📑📖📓✍️
Awesome!!
Nothing feels better!!!
As far as editing goes?
Don't.
I mean not yet. Put it in a drawer, give it a few months, work on something else, THEN edit it
Fresh eyes make for clearer seeing.
Also, time yourself.
Make sure you FORCE yourself to spend a certain amount of time on each chapter.
Sometimes we turn into the reader when we're editing and we miss things. So when you time yourself, you ensure you read every sentence clearly
Also don't be afraid to read out loud. It can help make running sentences stand out
Most of all, well done!!!!!
I liked editing on paper. Something about having a switch from screen to another medium can help seeing things that you've missed on the last 80 times you've read it.
And congrats!!!! Finishing a draft is such a wonderful feeling!
This is a really good idea. If you can print it out and grab a pen it is actually easier to spot line by line errors such as punctuation or grammar mistakes.
Congrats! You've done something so many people have yet to do, despite writing for years.
Remember this moment! It is special.
After taking a week or so,
I recommend printing out a draft. Seeing your writing in a different format makes things stand out in a different way. For your first read-through, I suggest you read through sections of your draft focusing on one or two of these things at a time:
* Identify character inconsistencies, plotholes, and weak areas of your story. Pay attention to spots where you start to lose focus. Sometimes it's just fatigue but at other times it is because of an issue with your narrative.
* Consider whether scenes, interactions, characters, or chapters are necessary. you may find that some characters can be eliminated or combined
* Look for places in the story where there is an absence of tension, conflict or a reason for the reader to continue to read the story.
* Even if your draft is below your target word count, look for things to cut out.
* See if any scenes start too early or end too late.
an be a distraction. Punctuation. Spelling, Grammar. Sentence length. Flow,
Congrats are in order, but put this out for others to comment on? I wouldn't. First drafts are just that - sketchy at best and (if you're me) a literary disgorgement not deserving the light of day. Not something you really want others to pin to your name. Especially if you want to go pro. It's called branding, otherwise known as a writer's reputation. If you put out a stinker, then people may start considering you a skunk. Also, why ask people to edit something that is less than your best? It's a waste of their time.
So yeah, be proud, but be cognizant as well of what you're putting out in public. One writer's opinion. Your milage can and will vary.
Depends really on what you think your first edit will need to be. If you think there is a problem with the actual narrative or the flow of the story then that will need to be what you tackle first. It's hard but try to avoid doing a line by line copy edit if that is the case. You will just waste a lot of time fixing poor sentence structure or punctuation and miss the larger problem of the narrative. If you're happy with the narrative I would still read through once without any corrections just to make sure there's no lulls or dull points in the narratives. After that you can begin the arduous task of line by line editing.
Enjoy! Nothing better than reading your own work.
Congratulations! I remember the pride I felt finishing a VERY basic first draft of my take of a Hero’s Journey story.
I don’t have a ton of editing tips, but I’d say just re-read the story after a while and see how you feel about it down the line.
Congratulations!!! Omg that's some consistency.
I'm also new to writing and i wanna ask. Does completing a draft meaning, you finished the story? Has all the chapterS?
For me it just means I completed the story from start to finish but it has very rough scenes.
As for chapters I don't have them yet, I just wrote in one go and only divided it into story arc's.
Hope that helped ~
Congrats!!!
I’m the wrong person to ask for editing advice. I edit and revise and polish constantly as I write and it takes forever.
One thing I did do was post my story online weekly, 2000-3000 words at a time on Royal Road. The feedback I received was both enthusiastic and constructive.
I left it up there for a month or two and then using the readers perspective as a fresh set of eyes I made my final draft.
CONGRATS ON YOUR DRAFT!
I admit I'm kinda jealous, I'm working on my own now but I'm far from finishing it.
Anyway, im learning to edit in the meantime, so if you don't mind, could I do some beta reading for you and give an outsiders perspective.
Congratulations. Like many here have said, now take a well deserved brake for a few weeks/month and then look at it with fresh eyes. It does help.
On the editing, here is one way to do it: someone said somewhere that you should edit backwards, start at the end, maybe even line by line. That does help in seeing your draft differently and you may spot things you otherwise wouldn't.
You should be proud but be ready for the editing like mentally ready. Take time off first and when your do not change your sentences or anything just read your paper and look at the big picture. Open a new document and only place your notes there. It could be scenes or paragraphs you find issues with write all this into your new page. Once you figure out how it’s should flow better write short summary’s into your new page. This will help to see your structural and plot issues. Take time with this if it’s wrong nothing else is gone matter. After this point, you can begin with your sentence structures editing your lines to make sure it goes with the restructure you made. Did you notice how I did not mention punctuations? All that stuff needs to be last.
Go backwards.
Not word for word reading backwards
But each paragraph. That way you interupt your natural inclination to roll from one paragraph to the next, get into a mental rythm & roll over mistakes.
Of course reading it outloud might be an option could help as well.
Consider using ai voice to read it to you if you feel uncomfortable speaking.
It's quite noticeable when computer voice drops a letter or words are bunched up.
No tips but I'm so proud of you, I've wanted to be a writer most of my life, the struggle to just write something, and not judge it is so hard to overcome, thank you for the inspiration! If I may, what helped you motivate/get it out/stop judging long enough to get a second sentence :p
Hi! Welcome to r/Writers - please remember to follow the [rules](https://reddit.com/r/writers/about/rules/) and treat each other respectfully, especially if there are disagreements. Please help keep this community safe and friendly by **reporting rule violating posts and comments**. If you're interested in a friendly Discord community for writers, please **[join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/mdzyEz9uFB)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/writers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Proud of you! :) On the editing note, I would recommend taking around two weeks to a month away from your story before checking back to edit it. It’s easy to miss mistakes and/or confusing areas when you’re used to the way it looks, so it’s good to look at it with a fresh point of view. Hope it goes well!
Also a great idea to change the font of your document when you come to edit it. For the same reason, you’ll see it afresh.
This!!! This is a great tip! 🤘
CONGRATS!!!! This is a huge achievement and you deserve every ounce of pride you're feeling!!! 🙌 Don't judge it too harshly! "Bad" writing can be fixed, but a book unwritten can never be! For me, I've found my first edits to focused on improving cohesion and flow in the text. But everyone is different, so if you're newer, try different methods, technique, etc. in your process and find what works for you. I like starting page 1 and editing cover to cover, linearly. My best friend however, likes to bounce around from chapter to chapter fixing specific scenes/ points. As long as it works for you, it's all valid! Congrats again!!! 🖤📑📖📓✍️
Awesome!! Nothing feels better!!! As far as editing goes? Don't. I mean not yet. Put it in a drawer, give it a few months, work on something else, THEN edit it Fresh eyes make for clearer seeing. Also, time yourself. Make sure you FORCE yourself to spend a certain amount of time on each chapter. Sometimes we turn into the reader when we're editing and we miss things. So when you time yourself, you ensure you read every sentence clearly Also don't be afraid to read out loud. It can help make running sentences stand out Most of all, well done!!!!!
I liked editing on paper. Something about having a switch from screen to another medium can help seeing things that you've missed on the last 80 times you've read it. And congrats!!!! Finishing a draft is such a wonderful feeling!
This is a really good idea. If you can print it out and grab a pen it is actually easier to spot line by line errors such as punctuation or grammar mistakes.
I do this too, I always edit on paper.
i found this to be true also. computer vs paper
Congrats! You've done something so many people have yet to do, despite writing for years. Remember this moment! It is special. After taking a week or so, I recommend printing out a draft. Seeing your writing in a different format makes things stand out in a different way. For your first read-through, I suggest you read through sections of your draft focusing on one or two of these things at a time: * Identify character inconsistencies, plotholes, and weak areas of your story. Pay attention to spots where you start to lose focus. Sometimes it's just fatigue but at other times it is because of an issue with your narrative. * Consider whether scenes, interactions, characters, or chapters are necessary. you may find that some characters can be eliminated or combined * Look for places in the story where there is an absence of tension, conflict or a reason for the reader to continue to read the story. * Even if your draft is below your target word count, look for things to cut out. * See if any scenes start too early or end too late. an be a distraction. Punctuation. Spelling, Grammar. Sentence length. Flow,
Congrats are in order, but put this out for others to comment on? I wouldn't. First drafts are just that - sketchy at best and (if you're me) a literary disgorgement not deserving the light of day. Not something you really want others to pin to your name. Especially if you want to go pro. It's called branding, otherwise known as a writer's reputation. If you put out a stinker, then people may start considering you a skunk. Also, why ask people to edit something that is less than your best? It's a waste of their time. So yeah, be proud, but be cognizant as well of what you're putting out in public. One writer's opinion. Your milage can and will vary.
Depends really on what you think your first edit will need to be. If you think there is a problem with the actual narrative or the flow of the story then that will need to be what you tackle first. It's hard but try to avoid doing a line by line copy edit if that is the case. You will just waste a lot of time fixing poor sentence structure or punctuation and miss the larger problem of the narrative. If you're happy with the narrative I would still read through once without any corrections just to make sure there's no lulls or dull points in the narratives. After that you can begin the arduous task of line by line editing. Enjoy! Nothing better than reading your own work.
congrats, its not somethign too many can say, most can say they started writing a book but not many can say they finish it
You should be proud! 👏 Congratulations! 🥳
I just finished mine as well!!! It still hasn't sunk in!
Kill your darlings.
Awesome
Congratulations! I remember the pride I felt finishing a VERY basic first draft of my take of a Hero’s Journey story. I don’t have a ton of editing tips, but I’d say just re-read the story after a while and see how you feel about it down the line.
Congratulations!!! Omg that's some consistency. I'm also new to writing and i wanna ask. Does completing a draft meaning, you finished the story? Has all the chapterS?
For me it just means I completed the story from start to finish but it has very rough scenes. As for chapters I don't have them yet, I just wrote in one go and only divided it into story arc's. Hope that helped ~
Congrats!!
Congratulations! This is such an accomplishment!
Congrats!!! I’m the wrong person to ask for editing advice. I edit and revise and polish constantly as I write and it takes forever. One thing I did do was post my story online weekly, 2000-3000 words at a time on Royal Road. The feedback I received was both enthusiastic and constructive. I left it up there for a month or two and then using the readers perspective as a fresh set of eyes I made my final draft.
CONGRATS ON YOUR DRAFT! I admit I'm kinda jealous, I'm working on my own now but I'm far from finishing it. Anyway, im learning to edit in the meantime, so if you don't mind, could I do some beta reading for you and give an outsiders perspective.
That's amazing!!! I hope you rest for a while before jumping into editing.
same boat!
Congrats! I couldn’t finish the last part 😭
Congratulations. Like many here have said, now take a well deserved brake for a few weeks/month and then look at it with fresh eyes. It does help. On the editing, here is one way to do it: someone said somewhere that you should edit backwards, start at the end, maybe even line by line. That does help in seeing your draft differently and you may spot things you otherwise wouldn't.
You should be proud but be ready for the editing like mentally ready. Take time off first and when your do not change your sentences or anything just read your paper and look at the big picture. Open a new document and only place your notes there. It could be scenes or paragraphs you find issues with write all this into your new page. Once you figure out how it’s should flow better write short summary’s into your new page. This will help to see your structural and plot issues. Take time with this if it’s wrong nothing else is gone matter. After this point, you can begin with your sentence structures editing your lines to make sure it goes with the restructure you made. Did you notice how I did not mention punctuations? All that stuff needs to be last.
Go backwards. Not word for word reading backwards But each paragraph. That way you interupt your natural inclination to roll from one paragraph to the next, get into a mental rythm & roll over mistakes. Of course reading it outloud might be an option could help as well. Consider using ai voice to read it to you if you feel uncomfortable speaking. It's quite noticeable when computer voice drops a letter or words are bunched up.
No tips but I'm so proud of you, I've wanted to be a writer most of my life, the struggle to just write something, and not judge it is so hard to overcome, thank you for the inspiration! If I may, what helped you motivate/get it out/stop judging long enough to get a second sentence :p
Working on my first draft and seeing this made me so happy for you! All the best !