I Got a Full Manuscript Request! Now What?
We’ve posted before about how to proof and format your first ten pages, and questions to ask yourself before you begin querying. This process often pushes writers to analyze every word of their openings, making sure the premise is set and the hook is there to get the highly coveted full manuscript request.
When prepping your full submission, polish the body of the work so it isn’t overshadowed by the opening.
Are you ready to take your story to the next level? Kristen Overman is here to help you! She's an experienced editor with expertise in middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books, adult fiction, and memoir.
I Got a Full Manuscript Request!
In our editorial practice, we often see manuscripts where the beginnings have clearly been rewritten multiple times, and then, it seems, the rest of the work was forgotten … or possibly overlooked. Because we all get to that point when we’ve looked at something so many times it’s impossible to see what else might need to be changed … or the flip side, thinking we need to change or rewrite the entire work. And then those glorious first ten pages land the full manuscript request … and it’s time to once again visit each sentence to make sure the rest of the work is on par with what the agent or editor wants more of.
Now What?
So how should you polish an entire novel or memoir for submission so every page sings, without wanting to gouge out your eyeballs?
1. Take a step back.
Give it a couple of days, or maybe a few weeks. Clear your head. Think about the parts of the story you love, and scenes you hope shine. Make a list of them, and then sort it chronologically.
2. Return to your outline.
In the Story Mastermind class, we spend considerable time working on outlines to make sure plot points are worked out, scenes build from one to the next, and characters grow and change. We also teach that this is a living document, which needs to be updated as the story is written and new decisions are made. If you have such an outline, you can read from start to finish how your plot unfolds.
Ask yourself: is every scene included necessary? Are there chapters or scenes that do nothing to move the plot forward? If yes, look to see if scenes can be deleted and chapters can be combined. Are there any holes, where we lose sight of secondary characters, or subplots are dropped? If yes, decide whether they should be completely eliminated to tighten the story, or more developed to add more depth?
3. Highlight changes.
Highlight where changes are necessary on your outline, and then dive back into the manuscript. By using the outline as a guide, you’ll know how making one change will impact other places in the story, and you can make continuity edits as well.
4. Do a dialogue edit.
Start from the beginning, and scan each chapter for dialogue scenes. Does it sound realistic? Is it active? Would the characters really use the words they’re speaking, or do they all talk like you? If you find they’ve been used to give information to the reader, make sure it’s done organically, not in long paragraph blocks. Avoid the “As you know, Bob,” conversations, which cover all kinds of backstory they probably have no need to say to anyone. Watch how you use dialogue tags, and make sure the conversations help build the story.
5. Do a Show vs Tell edit.
This can be done be using find/replace, and searching the words feel, feels, felt. Wherever you find them, look at the scene and check to see if it’s something that could be conveyed by a direct thought. Are you naming emotions? Is there a way around it?
6. Do an active sentence edit.
Using find/replace, search for sentences that begin with There were, There are, It was, It is. These distance the reader because they indicate passive writing voice. For example, consider the difference between “There were three pieces of paper on the table,” vs “Three pieces of paper cluttered the table,” or “She heard a voice. It was Bob,” vs “She heard Bob’s voice over the rest of the crowd’s chatter.” In both cases, by making the objects active we get richer details and are more drawn into the scene.
7. Read aloud! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
Starting at page 20-ish, or wherever your partial submission ended (maybe page 11), read each chapter aloud. Get up, close your door, maybe go out to your car so you can be alone and uninterrupted, do whatever it takes to get comfortable. By reading your work aloud, you’ll catch where the narrative rhythm is off. You’ll hear if too many characters’ voices sound alike. You’ll notice how the dialogue flows. And most of all, you’ll hear if there are places where your story still lags.
8. Read from start to finish.
Now, read your work all the way through, hit save, and phone a friend. (Or text. Whatever’s in your comfort zone.) Before you submit, it’s important to have fresh eyes on the manuscript. Find someone you trust, preferably who hasn’t seen it before, who also likes to read the sort of story you’ve written. At this stage you aren’t looking for an edit. You need a readability check. Ask them to note if there are places where the story lags, if they have questions that went unanswered, and how they feel about it when they finish. Your goal is reader satisfaction. If you’ve left them wanting a little more, great!
9. Second verse, same as the first.
After getting the manuscript back from said friend, quickly go through the steps above to incorporate relevant feedback. Check the submission guidelines, and go through your formatting. Times New Roman, 12-pt font, double spaced with one-inch margins all around is standard. Make sure there’s a page break after each chapter, and that new chapters start about a third of the way down. More on formatting for submission here.
10. Take a deep breath.
Make sure you’ve spelled the agent/editor’s name correctly on the email, attach the file (only if that’s what they’ve asked! Many agents and editors want no attachments. At Good Story Company, for example, we use Dropbox).
And … hit send!
Kristen is passionate about what an outline can do for your full manuscript and offers a rare service: a full outline edit with a one-hour consultation call. Book yours here!
