The Editing Journey

You have that first draft written and it took forever to finish. The hard part is over, or is it? Now you've got to proof read and edit, fix plot holes and inconsistencies, shape your characters and locations so they are three dimensional; getting the manuscript a little more polished and closer to where it should be. So how do you go about it and is it harder than knocking out the first draft?

Do you edit, reread your work while you write? Or do you just hammer out the first draft and then rewrite afterwards? Do you go to family or friends for guidance? What about Alpha and Beta Readers? Do you have them and how did you find them? Do you offer them some compensation? How many Alpha Beta readers do you use on one piece? And what about professional editing. Is a professional editor necessary for Indie Authors? What can you expect to pay for professional editing services?

I'm asking more questions than I have answers for because I'm still new to this. It is very hard for me to chop up, throw out and rework something I already spent a great deal of time on. I want to be as independent as possible and be able to do it all myself, but of course I can't. I have to find people to help me get on the right track if I've gone off the rails. I've learned that family isn't the way to go and I need someone outside my personal circle to give feedback. So far I haven't used Alpha readers, but have found a few Beta readers, and they have been helpful pointing to things I can't see having lived in the project for so long. It's a long trek to reach that satisfactory The End.

Comment and let me know how your editing journey typically goes...