How long should you wait?

Sorry if you're seeing wayy to much of me in the writing corner, but I just finished writing the first draft of my novel (I'm exhausted) and I was just wondering, how long do you leave it personally before editing?

Comments greatly welcomed.

Eimear

It really depends.

Getting distance from a work is a good thing. You also need to put a lot of effort into the second draft. For me, I finished my first draft in early January. I continued to do some research on the topic until late February, but either way I knew I wasn't going to work on my second draft until the end of school, both for distance from the work, and because I would have more time to devote to the project over the summer.

Hiding your work from yourself is always a good idea, no matter what it is. You can still think about it, but leave it alone. It will give you more knowledge into what tyou need to do with it when you return to the manuscript.

I hope that helped! ^^ And congrats on finishing the draft. I know how amazing it feels!

It really varies, and it depends on what I do in the interim. Sometimes I'm so into a story or scene or chapter or whathaveyou that I'll go back and start editing right away, but this happens rarely and I normally burn out pretty quickly. Normally I'll read a book or two after I'm done with something, maybe watch some movies, generally do things that help me relax and give my manuscript some time to breath. This process can be sufficient after a day or two (sometimes a few hours, if I've got a deadline), but the bigger the accomplishment, the longer I give it to sit so I can come back to it fresh. I took a little over a month off after I finished my novel, and when I came back it was fun to edit! Just be sure not to force yourself back too early, but be prepared to force yourself back if too much time passes and you're not at it again. It's different for everyone, trust your instincts and your previous experience!

I usually leave very little time, which can be a bad thing because you're too involved in your novel and not looking at it objectively enough.

I'd try and leave it at least a week or two, so you can go back over it with a fresh eye. For some people a few weeks is sufficient, for others, they need a few months. Leave it for as long as feels right for you.

When I finshed my first novel, I made the mistake of leaving it for one day before editing. DO NOT DO THIS! I was much smarter with my second novel, I left that one for a few months before even contemplating an edit.

Congratulations on finishing your novel!! I know the feeling too, relieved, yet hoping you did most of it right (yeah, right, as if that'll happen). I waited for a week to begin editing.

A month or two works fine. Though just make sure you have had distractions or started another piece of work to let your last dwindle out of your mind and into memory. Then when you pick it up, you can look at it objectively and not miss all the errors you would have if you waited like a day or two. As Chocoholic pointed out so clearly.