Editing . . . it's always been hard for me..

what genre?

of course first reread the story. then check 4 spelling and grammatical errors- VERY IMPORTANT. then, u go around and see if there's anything u wanna add. do so. after that, reread. voila! 

This is what works for me. Every writer is different, and our techniques are generally different.You may not want to use this at all, butagain, it just happens to be my strategy. I think it's worth a try, but it's not as if it's the only way out there to do anything.

Reread

Wait about a week

Unless your story has so many typos it will eat your time for some reason or another--like, say, you're editing a JulNo--go ahead and remove typos. Generally it's technically best to wait, but then you may get an irrepressable urge to go back to them at the wrong time, using it as procrastination.You don't want to do that.

Decide about the plot, characters, and setting, the big things.  Do you want to change them in any way? Do so, but don't elaborate too much or worry overly much about mastering description just yet.

Check for spelling errors, whether or not you've already done so.

Read it over again just to make sure you know it's what you want, and then change the minor things like description and dialogue.

Reread.

If you like what you see, it's done.

Start with your basic grammar. Verb tense, punctuation, capitalization. Cut out the abbreviations in favor of the whole word.

Then go through with a fine-toothed comb, asking yourself questions like, "Is my meaning perfectly clear? Do I have unnecessary scenes? Am I missing something? 

Read your story aloud to yourself. It's amazing how much this helps you find problems. 

Be nit-picky, in general. Cut out what you don't need, make things simple. Use varying lengths of sentences, and don't overuse words like "very" or "just" that will make your writing sound juvenile. Or words that you use a lot when you talk, maybe like "awesome."

Best of luck; I hope to see your novel in print someday!

Cheers,

lavendershy

I'm writing a novel as well. So far I have 126 pages or so, but I've already done a ton of editing. I think I'm kind of a weird person, because a lot of writers write the whole book before editing, but I can't stand to do that! It's your choice on when you want to edit.

I reread through book a lot, or at least a few chapters here and there, every few weeks or so. Look for grammar mistakes and missing words, as well as ways you could possibly word something better.

Something else that can help is to have other people read it. Then you can get an idea of how your story appears to others, like whether the plot is weak or the action too slow. I have my family members and friends read my book, and they give me all kinds of advice. Of course, you don't always want to follow everythings they suggest. Sometimes it's up to you whether or not you want to have something this way or that way.

Editing is a very personal process!

Just rewrite. Like, printout your current manuscript and go through and write it again in like a notebook, using the previous draft as a guide. That's the only thing that's worked with the NaNos.