Now that you’ve written your story, you’re ready to submit it, right? Well, not quite. Half of the writing process is editing, revising and rewriting. Now, I know revising is boring work, and is sometimes a daunting task, but I have listed a few tips below to help make it easier for you.

• Put the draft away for a while before bringing it back out to edit – at least overnight.
• Read it as though you were the reader.
• Read it out loud.
• Read backwards by sentence (last sentence first, and so on). If the sentence doesn’t make sense by itself, consider changing it.
• Have a friend read it and make suggestions (known as a beta reader).
• Print a copy and write the revision changes on it. Then make the changes and print it out again. Hold the two copies side by side to make sure no changes were missed.
• Stephen King says, “The second draft is the first draft minus ten percent.”  Do not be afraid to get rid of things that aren’t working, even if you really like them.