Fine Tuning Your Manuscript

"Do NOT hand in your first draft!" I tell my middle school writing students.

They grin at me, clueless, and I know what they're thinking. "She won't know if it's my first draft or not. It sounded pretty good to me when I finished typing."

Oh yes, I do know. They are always so surprised, as though I'd magically peered into their houses and watched them whip the story out of the printer the night before class.

We authors are the WORST critics of our own work. When we read our story, we see what we think we said, not necessarily what's on the page. Learning to set creativity aside for awhile and pick up the red pen is a learned skill. It's not all about the grammar and punctuation either. Proper editing can make the difference between a ho-hum story and one that sings from the pages.

An excellent and often recommended source is the book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown & Dave King. You can find it on Amazon quite cheaply here: http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256235816&sr=1-1

Just as I can tell when my students haven't done the refining they should have done, any agent or editor can tell at first glance whether you know what you're doing. Don't kill your wonderful book by neglecting so many of the simple tricks that can set your work apart from the masses cluttering the desktops. Learn to edit your own work.