Digital + printable workbook for novelists
The Ultimate Self-Editing Workbook
Turn a messy first draft into a polished manuscript, pass by pass
Choose your format
What you get with the Goodnotes & PDF edition
- 32-page digital planner with clickable tabs, contents and back links
- Two designs: Classic and the colourful Pop design
- Printable US Letter versions of both designs
- Recommended Resources for Authors PDF
A hyperlinked PDF for Goodnotes, Notability, Noteshelf and other PDF note apps on iPad or Android tablets. Tap the tabs and contents to jump between pages.
About this workbook
Turn a messy first draft into a polished manuscript, pass by pass. The Self-Editing Workbook has 6 sections: start, structure, character, scene & line, polish and feedback.
It comes as Goodnotes & PDF, Microsoft Word, Notion template and E-ink edition, or as a printed, spiral-bound planner, so you can plan in the app you already use.
Sample pages
Take a look inside
Real pages from the Self-Editing Workbook, in both designs. Tap a page to see it bigger.
What's inside
6 sections, 32 pages in the PDF
Start3 pages
- Get some distance
- Read-through notes
- Big-picture diagnosis
Structure6 pages
- Reverse outline
- Scene audit: keep, cut or rewrite
- Pacing map
Character3 pages
- Character arc check
- Character consistency
- Voice check
Scene & Line4 pages
- Scene checklist
- Line edit checklist
- Crutch words
Polish3 pages
- Continuity & timeline
- Style sheet
- Proofreading checklist
Feedback3 pages
- Beta readers
- Revision notes
- Professional editing
Section and page counts are for the Goodnotes & PDF edition; the other formats hold the same planning pages, arranged to suit each app.
Highlights
Inside the Self-Editing Workbook
Fix the big picture first
- Read-through notes and a big-picture diagnosis
- A reverse outline of the draft you actually wrote
- Scene audit: mark each scene keep, cut, merge or rewrite
- Pacing map and a subplot check
Check every character
- Check your main character's arc in the finished draft
- Track the details that drift: eye colour, ages, names
- A voice check for each main character's dialogue
- Note what makes each voice distinct
Then go line by line
- A scene checklist for once the structure is fixed
- A line edit checklist to work sentence by sentence
- Crutch Words: search for your pet words and count them
- A dialogue pass, reading only the dialogue
Polish it, then share it
- Continuity & timeline: days, dates and who knows what, when
- A style sheet you can hand to your copy editor
- A proofreading checklist for the final pass
- Beta readers, revision notes and professional editing
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