Edit, Edit, Edit.

We writers really should love editing our work. It has to be done, so we might as well throw ourselves into it. 

If you are writing to be read, whether someone is buying your work or reading it for free, you want them to stay the course. To work their way through the world you have created and be entertained. Such an outcome requires more than a great story.

We all know the value of a well-crafted opening. We know our characters need to be truly engaging. That our story must intrigue; that its pace and tone must be totally integrated. We might throw in surprises but we aim for a lip-smacking ending that the reader will find truly satisfying. We want that reader to want more.

Let’s liken our story to a developer building a new house to sell. They put in their foundations, lay their ground pipes, build their walls, install their beams and floors, put on a roof. Now they can get on with some plumbing and electricals; internal partitions. Then they can start to make things look pretty – the right choice of windows and doors – especially that all-important front door – an attractive and well-thought-out kitchen; striking bathrooms; great decorations. And at the end of that process, a supervisor with a killer eye for detail will draw up what the builder calls a snagging list. Tighten those hinges; ease that door; sort out the creak on the staircase.

As writers, our snagging list is our line edit. We might already have had a structural edit (those walls were all well-constructed but one of them had to come down and be rebuilt a smidgeon to the left; the plumbing was fine until an additional shower demanded a rethink).

The builder will have started to market the new house before it is completed. Just as the writer might submit to an agent or enter the work into a competition. In either scenario, if you can convince the buyer this is a wonderful acquisition, the better your chances of making the sale.