Ok, so you've made it to the end of your book. Congrats. You have made it farther than many a person will ever go. Now you can start sending it off to agents and publishers, right?
Um.......no.
Now that you've finished your FIRST DRAFT, it's time to continue onto the next draft and the next, until it is as perfect as it can get.
I'm no expert on revising (I'm working on RE-revising my first novel and on my third draft of my second), but I have found some helpful tips online:
Tips for Revising Your Manuscript - "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
Writers Digest gives 6 tips to get started:
1.) The Cool-down Phase - let your book sit for a week or more before tackling the revision.
2.) The Prep Phase - create a cover and critic's blurb.
3.) Print out and Prepare a Fresh Copy
4.) Get Ready to Read - find your favorite spot to read.
5.) Read - curl up on your couch and read it (with little or no editing), preferably in as little sessions as possible.
6.) Analyze - after the first read through, begin to make notes.
I also have read some good things about this book:
Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell
Now print off that first draft and get to work. You've conquered a huge milestone, now let's polish it and make it shine so that you can present a diamond to a publisher.
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