Have you taken your novel to the next step? Have you gone back to you story to fix it up and try to make it publishable?

Do you have any tips for the rest of us?

My favourite editing technique is to get someone else (that I trust) to read a chapter over and go red pen crazy on it.

This is why I love Word's "track changes" feature. Other people have such a different outlook on your story. They will tell what is crap and what is gold, and what needs to be expanded and what you've mentioned over and over and over again and oh my god will you shut up about it!

A fresh point of view always helps.

My issue right now, is that I because I didn't edit as I go, my story isn't anywhere near the level of something I would be okay showing people. So, first I have to get it up to a good standard.

I wouldn't mind some hints on that.

I find the best way to edit is with a printed copy, scribbling stuff out and writing notes in the margins. If you have more than one person checking your story over, it gives them something to see about contentious points, even have multiple editors commenting on the same thing can drive discussion on things in your story that are either open to interpretation or are definitely in need of work.

For self-editing, I have been trying out Holly Lisle's one pass editing method.

Um, not so much just one pass for me, but the advice has been extremely helpful in getting my draft to the point where I am willing to show it to somebody else for a second opinion!

I like the Holly Lisle approach too. Although one pass is a bit of a misnomer for me. What I like best is teh print it out by scene approach she gives. By looking at each scene I can find where the story drags and where there's a missing transition.

Well how I've been editing is printing everything out double spaced and taking out old miss red (my former marking pen when I was TA'ing English). Start editing through things, crossing out garbage and redundant scenes. Editing other parts to make it flow. Cutting out some of the obscene humour and making sure it still makes sense without the humour and removing any references to it.

Once I finish this round of editing I am going to have other people read through it and see if it is coherent.

After that... who knows?