Finished my book!!

[megrunning]

After 3 and a half years I've finally finished my first book! It needs a LOT of editing and I've got a couple of really useful books on things to review but it's 91,000 words long and I'm a bit lost as to how to start!

What would you seasoned pros suggest?!

(It was my ambition to write a book so at the moment I'm focused on making it the best I can, rather than getting agents and publishers etc)

Congratulations! It is wonderful to finish your first novel, and 91k words is brilliant!

I can't offer much editing advice as that's my weak point. I've written two novels and edited half of one. I do find it harder to stick to as the excitement and motivation is gone.

My only helpful advice would be to do it, don't let it lie because you won't edit it. Leave it for a short space of time, look at it with fresh eyes, then begin editing chapter by chapter. If you have to make major changes when you read through, do this first as you don't want to edit what you are going to cut out or alter again anyway.

It will probably take at least two or three edits until you are happy, but I have heard it said that good books are not written, they are rewritten.

Congratulations again, no matter how much editing is to come, you have finished your book and you are awesome!

Leave it for a few weeks so you come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes. Then give it a fast read through, as if you are a reader. Try to notice pace, whether it all makes sense, whether there are continuity errors and whether you are left with any questions unanswered. Focus on the big stuff before you get down to detailed editing.
I also find it useful to use a spreadsheet with a row for each chapter and a column for plot points and what is happening to each character, any sub plots, etc.
Good luck!

I find reading my work aloud really helps me spot repeated words and phrases. You can look at it on screen until you go cross eyed, but it's only when you read aloud that you hear the rhythm of the sentences and notice overused words. it helps me enormously.

I also agree with the above advice to leave it in a drawer for a bit and go back with fresh eyes. If you edit as soon as you've completed it, you won't see the wood for the trees.