Your First Draft is Complete, Now What? (HYH Guide to Authorship)

Before you edit, check for these common errors.

Congratulations on conquering the blank page and completing your first draft! As an author, your primary aim is to ensure your readers can fully engage with your message without distractions. Now that your initial draft is done, it’s time to embark on the editing journey.

But before you hand your manuscript off to a professional editor for copy or line editing, equip yourself with the essential tool: “Your First Draft is Complete, Now What?” This book serves as your editing checklist, targeting common issues frequently encountered in first drafts. While some items on this list may indeed be errors (such as misspellings or incorrect word usage), many are subtle distractions or unnecessary fluff that could hinder your manuscript’s potential.