So, you’ve finished the first draft of your fantasy novel, and now you’re thinking, “how do I turn this messy pile of words into a story someone actually wants to read?”
When I finished my first fantasy novel 12 years ago, I had no idea what to do next. I spent four years trying to fix that book, and a lot of the time, it felt like I was making zero progress.
But since then, I’ve developed an editing system that has helped me publish four fantasy novels and get some lovely reviews.
I’ve taught this process to many of the 200+ writers I’ve worked with, and today I’m going to walk you through my entire editing system to help you craft excellent stories.
Get ProWritingAid (my favourite editing software) with a 20% discount on Yearly Premium and Premium Pro licenses: https://prowritingaid.com/pp/jed-herne?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=partner-influencer&utm_campaign=Jed-Herne-2025&utm_content=guide-to-editing-your-fantasy-novel-video&utm_term=
⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - The 2 golden rules of editing
03:20 - What to do when you finish your 1st draft
08:59 - 2nd draft: big structural changes
14:54 - 3rd draft: improve characters
20:34 - Find early readers
27:22 - 4th draft: process reader feedback
29:16 - 5th draft: prose polishing
35:48 - 6th draft: proofreading and grammar
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