You had an inspiration. Spent three work days typing away. Your hands hurt, your fingers are sore, and your mouse is ready to hit 'publish' on your new masterpiece that is going straight to Tumblr. Everyone's gonna be talking about what you wrote, about how well you characterized all the MCs, how realistic the dialogue is, and the depth of your story.
But then you remember... I should edit my fic. Make it really polished.
And you'd be right: you should be editing your fic. Don't know where to start? You're in the right place!
My internet name is Emily and I've been writing fics for most of my life. That is a lot of time đź« .
Let's see how you can edit your fic, step by step.
Keep in mind: these steps are NOT to be done in any particular order. This is just a suggestion on how to proceed, but if you feel like:
a. the steps work better for you in a different order, or
b. some of the editing suggestions are intentional (e.g., you're making character X OOC on purpose)
then go for it 🍄 This is fanfic after all, take all the creative liberty you want!
Step 1 – Take a Break After Finishing Your Draft
Take a second. Maybe write something else. Go to sleep. Or not, and then play some games. Dare I say... take a walk? Anything but keep your eyes away from the fic for a few days, so that you kinda forget about it and then you can spot errors easily. It's the same concept as putting a drawing upside down to see the mistakes.
I usually take about a week when I'm writing long stuff, but that's because I tend to read it so many times I can recite it by heart after a while, so it takes me a little longer before I can edit.
Step 2 – The Big Picture Edit (Structural Editing)
First of all, you gotta read the fic. Read it through and mark down all plot holes (things that contradict each other in the story), continuity mistakes (people who have already stood up that are magically sitting down two lines later, clothes that change color), and other things that stand out to you.
Also check pacing (whether some scenes are too fast or too slow), characterization (character voice, unplanned OOC moments), and story structure.
Step 3 – Chapter-by-Chapter Review (if applicable)
This is a space where I check for chapters that are too long, too short, or can be deleted completely because they bring nothing to the plot or character development.
Step 4 – Line Editing: Style, Clarity, and Voice
As you're reading your fic again, check for sentences that are too long, hard to read, or too clichĂ©-y. Define a style for your fic and make sure it's followed throughout. Also, make sure the POV voice is consistent: if you're using a third person external narrator, keep doing that—or mark the differences clearly. You can switch POVs, but that means the narrating voice also has to change, as the switch needs to be clear. It's a tough line to walk! đź«
In this step, also decide what you want to do with adverbs. Some writers follow the no-adverb rule, some don't. You don't have to do one or the other; you can also aim to find a good balance. Remember, this is fanfiction, it doesn't have to be "publisher friendly". It can have style and personality. And personally, I love it when they do!
If you decide to find all adverbs and delete / replace them, you can use the tool I built. It's called The Dialogue Thing! It's free, AI-free, and doesn't save your writing anywhere (you heard that right!) Give it a try here.
Step 5 – Dialogue and "show don't tell" edits
I've previously made an article about dialogue rules, so you can find it here, but here's the gist:
Let's take this example:
âś… "Hello," she said
❌ "Hello," she walked
Only use the comma at the end of direct speech if you plan on using a dialogue tag. If you're gonna use an action tag (walked, did, ran, etc.), you should use a full stop, not a comma.
The same way, if you're gonna use a comma, the letter immediately following the quote should be lowercase. Same thing applies for question marks, exclamation marks, and ellipses (...): if it's followed by an action tag, the first letter is going to be lowercase.
I cover this in more detail in the article, but also...
The tool I previously mentioned, The Dialogue Thing, flags ALL cases for you, so you can edit them out easily! 🍄
This step is also great to tackle the "show, don't tell" rule. I do this together with the dialogue because that's where a lot of the emotional stuff is happening. So, if you're reading your direct speech and people are just straight up saying what they're feeling, consider whether it's better to just have them hint at it.
"I'm sad and disappointed," and "Whatever," have two very different effects. One just straight up tells people what they're feeling; the other makes the reader understand what's going on. And that's the beauty of writing and art!
Conclusion
Editing your novel or fanfiction is a crucial step toward creating a polished, engaging story that readers will love. By following this step-by-step guide, from taking breaks after drafting to tackling dialogue and adverb edits, you ensure your work is clear, consistent, and compelling. Use both traditional editing techniques and modern tools like The Dialogue Thing to streamline the process and improve your writing style effortlessly.
Remember, editing is not about perfection but about making your story the best version of itself. Whether you are polishing your fanfiction or preparing a novel for publication, this guide will help you take control of your editing journey.
Start editing today and watch your novel transform—your readers and characters will thank you!