If there’s one thing I like, one thing I really get a buzz from about writing, it’s editing. That’s not to say I don’t find it painfully hard at times, But ‘smithing’ my text until I have the perfect sentence or paragraph or conversation or scene is just incredibly satisfying.

So, here are my top 5 tips:

1. Stop, drop and…do something else – after you’ve put the final full stop on your first draft and hit save (or closed the notebook because you might be old school), put it to one side. Do something else. Bathe the dog. Go fishing. Learn to knit.  Personally I leave off writing for a day or two, then focus on something new. It could be a short story, a few blog posts, or even planning a new book. Anything really to get my mind out of the world I’ve been inhabiting for the past…