You’ve just typed THE END on the first draft of your novel.
Good on you!
Time to start editing, right?
Not yet.
You need to let your book cook.
This advice coming from Stephen King in his book on writing called On Writing (I had to). In it, he says that a writer should put the first draft if a drawer for three months minimum. Why?
You just finished a novel. You brought life to it. You’re so close to it and it’s so precious to you. There’s no way you can cut out that entire chapter or edit out that character completely.
But, after three months (or more), you can come back to your story with fresh eyes. It will probably feel like you are reading someone else’s words; and that’s great. It will make the editing process much easier, because you’ve removed your emotions a bit, and now and edits you make are to make the book the best it can be.
So, print that draft out, put it in a drawer, and start on the next project.
Jump. Build, Fly.
F.C. Shultz