So, you’ve finished the first draft of your fantasy novel, and now you’re thinking, “how do I turn this messy pile of words into a story someone actually wants to read?”

When I finished my first fantasy novel 12 years ago, I had no idea what to do next. I spent four years trying to fix that book, and a lot of the time, it felt like I was making zero progress.

But since then, I’ve developed an editing system that has helped me publish four fantasy novels and get some lovely reviews.

I’ve taught this process to many of the 200+ writers I’ve worked with, and today I’m going to walk you through my entire editing system to help you craft excellent stories.

Get ProWritingAid (my favourite editing software) with a 20% discount on Yearly Premium and Premium Pro licenses: https://prowritingaid.com/pp/jed-herne?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=partner-influencer&utm_campaign=Jed-Herne-2025&utm_content=guide-to-editing-your-fantasy-novel-video&utm_term=

⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction

00:35 - The 2 golden rules of editing

03:20 - What to do when you finish your 1st draft

08:59 - 2nd draft: big structural changes

14:54 - 3rd draft: improve characters

20:34 - Find early readers

27:22 - 4th draft: process reader feedback

29:16 - 5th draft: prose polishing

35:48 - 6th draft: proofreading and grammar

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