So, you’ve finished a book. First of all CONGRATULATIONS. Many people tell me they want to write a book. Far fewer tell me they’ve got to the end!

The temptation is to send the book off immediately. Now it’s finished, surely someone will want to read it? What are editors for if not to fix all those pesky mistakes? Except an editor’s job is to help you push the book further than you could possibly do on your own. Not fix mistakes you can already see.

So, put the book aside for a little while. Not too long, maybe two weeks, maybe a month. Then read it through, make notes, lots and lots of notes. Listen to that voice which says THIS BIT ISN’T WORKING. After you’ve made notes, start your first rewrite.

I’ve just sent my novel back to my editor. It’s due to come out in August this year and I’ve been editing it ALL YEAR. Yep, that’s right, the rewrites have taken a huge amount of work and a lot of rethinking. The book I initially wrote has been transformed into something stronger, more original, more like the book I wanted to write in the first place.

Now I’ve finished editing, what happens next? Well, I have to accept I haven’t actually finished editing. There will be more edits, line edits, copy edits, galleys. Each stage of the process make the novel better for a reader. Because if you’re going to spend your time reading my books, the very least I can do is spend as much of my time as possible on the work. I’d better make these books as good as they can be, right?

Then, after all those edits, I might turn my attention to the quiet voice in the back of my head that has another story for me to start writing. It’s hard work actually finishing a novel, edits and all, but it’s addictive!

I’ve been working on cuts (editorial cuts from a book, I mean) this morning and I thought that this might be a fun writing exercise for you to try.

Take a block of text – from the newspaper, a book you don’t love, a blog, and see if you can make cuts and still have the same meaning and intention show through. Be ruthless, then add back in any words you actually need. You may find you can remove entire sentences.

Making cuts is part of the job for a writer. I find it more fun than you might think. I know writers are supposed to love their darlings, but there is something deeply satisfying about removing the mess, the extra, the ‘fat’, and finding the story within.

Let me know how it goes!

“Can you read this book to me, please?”

Use this opening line to write a story, perhaps for children, perhaps for older readers. Think about who is asking this question, and who is answering. Remember to maintain tension and conflict, even in a story that starts sweetly.