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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37436
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37436
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm generally much more messy with my editing than @Fayth85, (I mean, I do not have a procedure, an order of editing things - I just take care of whatever doesn't feel right,) and I do quite a bit of editing while I'm writing (it's how I deal with writing block), but here are some things that have helped me:

- Get a beta reader to read your book, or at least start reading it. Beta readers have helped me find things that don't work, but no less important - when a beta reader says "I like this", it helps me get more excited and more confident about my work.
- Discuss plot problems with a friend. Friend can contribute ideas regarding how to solve the problem, or just serve as a willing bouncing wall for your thought process. Either way, you come away with solutions. Said friend doesn't need to have read your story - just give them enough information to understand the problem.
- If you see a problem in your text and can't find a solution, mark it. (Some people use different colours for different problems, I prefer leaving a comment with brief description of what the problem is, though I wish it were possible to have different-coloured comments), then move on. Don't get bogged down over one problem - that's disheartening. Come back later, and the fresh outlook might help you solve it. The same way one is taught to do exams - not getting bogged down over a question.
- Solve the plot problems first: dealing with style when you know you'd have to rewrite, maybe throw away, the whole chunk anyway because the plot isn't working, can be disheartening too: it's hard to find the motivation to do what you think might be empty work.
- Go back to point #1. I find that nothing motivates me as much as hearing "I really like this part, but this other part isn't working." I immediately want to get everything to be as praiseworthy as the part I got praised for.

You would need to do a complete read-through of your work many times, of course, until you are satisfied.

(I should say, @Fayth85's system might be better than my mess. I just don't work well with rigid systems, even ones I set for myself. See what works best for you.)

Original score: 10