Revise and Edit Your Own Novel Course

Editorial Take

Editing a novel can feel overwhelming, especially without formal training. Ellen Brock’s Udemy course, 'Revise and Edit Your Own Novel,' distills professional editing techniques into a clear, accessible format for writers at any level. With over 1.5 hours of focused content, this course delivers structured, practical guidance for transforming a rough draft into a polished manuscript ready for submission or self-publishing.

Standout Strengths

• Professional Expertise: Ellen Brock brings real-world editing experience from traditional publishing, offering insights that go beyond grammar to structural integrity. Her guidance reflects industry standards used by publishing houses.
• Manuscript-Ready Outcome: The course is designed so students finish with a fully revised novel. Exercises are integrated into each section, ensuring immediate application and tangible progress from the first module.
• Structural Clarity: The module on story structure and pacing helps writers identify plot holes, slow sections, and narrative imbalances. This foundational skill is essential for both genre and literary fiction authors.
• Point of View Mastery: The dedicated section on POV clarifies common mistakes like head-hopping and inconsistent perspective. Writers learn to maintain narrative cohesion, a frequent issue in first drafts.
• Scene-Level Focus: Breaking down chapters and scenes helps writers evaluate pacing, tension, and transitions. This granular approach ensures each scene serves the story’s overall arc and emotional impact.
• Dialogue Realism: The course teaches how to write natural-sounding dialogue that reveals character and advances plot. It avoids melodrama and ensures dialogue feels authentic without overuse of tags.

Honest Limitations

Surface-Level Grammar: While the course covers punctuation in dialogue, it doesn’t dive deep into grammar rules, syntax, or line editing. Writers seeking copyediting-level detail may need supplemental resources. This is more developmental editing than proofreading.
• No Personalized Feedback: As a pre-recorded course, it lacks interaction or manuscript review. Writers must self-apply concepts without instructor input, which may challenge those needing direct critique.
• Narrow Scope: The course focuses on fiction novels and doesn’t address nonfiction, memoir, or short story editing. Its techniques are less transferable to other genres or formats.
• Fast-Paced Delivery: At under two hours, the course moves quickly. Writers with complex manuscripts may feel rushed and benefit from pausing and revisiting sections multiple times.

How to Get the Most Out of It

• Study cadence: Complete one module per week to allow time for applying edits. This paced approach prevents burnout and ensures thoughtful revisions to your manuscript.
• Parallel project: Work directly on your novel while taking the course. Immediate application reinforces learning and turns theory into real progress by the final lesson.
• Note-taking: Keep a revision journal to track changes, decisions, and insights. This record helps maintain consistency across chapters and supports future editing passes.
• Community: Join online writing groups or forums to discuss course concepts. Sharing edits and receiving peer feedback enhances understanding and motivation.
• Practice: Rewrite scenes multiple times using different techniques from the course. Experimentation builds confidence and deepens editorial judgment over time.
• Consistency: Set weekly editing goals and stick to them. Regular, small improvements compound into a significantly stronger final draft by course end.

Supplementary Resources

• Book: 'The Novel Editing Workbook' by Sarah Domet complements this course with additional exercises and checklists for self-editing.
• Tool: Use Grammarly or ProWritingAid to catch technical errors after applying structural edits from the course.
• Follow-up: Consider a beta reader or critique group after finishing the course to get external feedback on your revised novel.
• Reference: 'Self-Editing for Fiction Writers' by Renni Browne and Dave King is an excellent print companion for deeper dives into craft elements.

Common Pitfalls

• Pitfall: Over-editing early chapters while neglecting the rest. Focus on completing full passes rather than perfecting one section, as advised in the course’s pacing module.
• Pitfall: Ignoring structural feedback in favor of line edits. Address plot and POV issues first—surface fixes won’t fix deeper narrative flaws.
• Pitfall: Skipping exercises. The value comes from doing, not just watching. Apply each lesson to your manuscript to see real improvement.

Time & Money ROI

• Time: At under two hours of video, the course is time-efficient. However, applying edits to a full novel may take weeks or months of dedicated work.
• Cost-to-value: Priced affordably compared to professional editing services, this course offers high value for writers on a budget seeking publishing-ready results.
• Certificate: The Certificate of Completion adds credibility to writing portfolios, useful for freelancers or those building a professional author brand.
• Alternative: Hiring a professional editor costs hundreds or thousands; this course provides 80% of the value at a fraction of the price.

Editorial Verdict

This course fills a critical gap for independent authors who want to publish professionally without hiring an editor. Ellen Brock’s structured, no-nonsense approach demystifies the revision process, making it accessible to writers of all experience levels. The focus on story structure, pacing, and POV ensures that students address the most impactful elements of narrative quality—those that determine whether a novel feels cohesive and compelling.

While not a substitute for copyediting or personalized feedback, the course excels as a foundational tool for developmental editing. Writers who complete the exercises gain not only a revised manuscript but also lifelong skills in self-critique and revision. Given its affordability, clear organization, and practical outcomes, this course is highly recommended for novelists preparing for self-publishing or seeking to improve their craft before querying agents. It’s a smart investment for any serious writer.