You have just finished the last words of your book. You are singing and doing a happy dance. You have done what many have not; you have written a whole novel! After a celebratory dinner, a glass of wine, or a box of chocolates, it is time to begin the next stage: editing your book using a four draft plan.

Is Editing Important?
Editing a novel can be likened to polishing a raw gem. At first, the gem is opaque and rough, but after sanding and buffing, it becomes shiny and transparent. For a novel to be cohesive and its characters strong, one must edit. An unedited book stands out as being sloppy and unfinished.

First Draft
"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." Terry Pratchett
Your first draft is your diamond in the rough. It is the story written, but not finished. You have allowed the words to flow onto the page, unchecked. Many first-time novelists believe that once they type the last words, The End, their story is complete. Although finishing a book is an accomplishment, this is just the first draft. There are several more drafts to get through before being able to send your novel into the cold and unforgiving world of literary agents and publishers. Sending out the first draft as a new novelist may only end in a deep sense of failure; to a professional, your story is not complete, it is in the beginning stages and needs a lot of work before being considered. 

Take A Break
Before starting on the second draft, take a rest. Do something that does not concern your novel. Many novelists take a week to three months away from their new book. However long you decide, be sure that it is long enough to come back with "fresh eyes."  Taking a break gives you the ability to look at your novel from a different perspective and see things from the editorial viewpoint.    

The Second Draft
You have written a story; now it is time to discover all of its beauty; its flaws and assets. When editing a novel, you work in layers. Start with your overall story. Look for areas that are slow, have unfinished subplots, weak characters, and average action/dialogue. It is imperative to address these issues before moving into the next stage, the third draft. Once you have added/subtracted unnecessary scenes and tightened your storyline and characters, you have completed your second draft. 

The Third Draft
Now, read through your story again, this time focusing on sentence structure and word choices. I suggest reading your whole book aloud (or have a trusted friend read while you edit), then taking a ruler and your printed manuscript and going through the story one sentence at a time searching for words or sentences that are choppy or don't flow.

The Fourth Draft
You are almost finished! You can see your gem starting to shine. You are ready to proofread your novel. Again, taking your manuscript, a ruler, and red (or pink or purple) pen, read through and correct any spelling and grammatical mistakes. In this stage, it is helpful to use editing software such as Grammarly, but only after you have completed your own proofreading, as editing software will not find all mistakes.

A Polished Manuscript
Congratulations! You have a complete novel! Despite all the work involved, a polished manuscript is well worth the effort. Now, send your novel out into the world with your head held high and pride shining in your eyes. You are a writer!