Pull up a chair for that finished manuscript!
After the completion of a story/novel, or just about any other manuscript for that matter, you need to let it sit. No, this doesn’t mean giving up your favorite easy chair so your manuscript can watch television (ouch! that was bad, sorry!).
What are you talking about?
You spent a lot of time writing your novel (for example) and thinking about it. Now that you have a completed draft, you need to get it out of your mind for a while. This doesn’t mean forgetting about your work altogether, rather, you should set it aside and work on another project. Place the manuscript in a safe place, where you’ll remember it. I put mine in a file folder and tuck it away in my filing cabinet. Make a note on your calendar so you remember to come back to it.
Why?
By letting your manuscript sit, it will seem more fresh to you when you come back to start making revisions. This will make it easier to catch mistakes (grammatical, spelling, etc), and you’ll see "holes" in your plot with more clarity than if you were to start editing right away.
How Long?
That depends. This is one of those things where it’s an individual preference. For a short story or something of similar length, maybe a month to six weeks. For a novel, maybe a few months. The point is to take a break from the work so you can come back to it with a fresh mind. Since there is no right answer to how long you should let it sit for, you should experiment to see what works best for you.
Do I still need a "second pair of eyes" to proofread my manuscript?
Yes, yes, and yes again!!! Having an independent party proofread your manuscript is still a must. Not doing this will almost guarantee glaring errors in your writing. In fact, you should have several people proofread your work because not every one will catch every mistake. Letting your manuscript sit is not a short cut, rather it’s another tool for you to use.
What are the benefits again?
Okay, for those of you that skim these posts, here are the benefits to letting your manuscript sit for a while after completing a draft:
- After sitting, the manuscript will seem fresh.
- You’ll catch more of your own grammatical/spelling mistakes.
- You’ll catch any "holes" in the plot that might exist (trust me, they’ll be there).
- Your mind will be clear, giving you a fresh perspective.
- It’s always kinda fun to go back and read something you wrote a few months earlier!
This is actually a very simple, non-time consuming way to get the most out of editing your writing. While you wait you can start another project (this is what I prefer to do), or you can take a break and enjoy life. This is where the flexibility and freedom of being a writer can really come in handy – unless your on a deadline, then ignore everything I just said.
Related posts
- Don’t give up on that writing project!
- Story endings: Don’t cheat your readers
- Easy Ways to Beat Writer’s Block
- Warning: Read This Post Before Editing Your Own Work!
- 7 Tips for Good Writing
Read More: Writing Tips
