The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the cold winter is finally transforming into spring! It’s the time of year that signifies the beginning of our beloved (and sometimes dreaded) spring cleaning. We dig into the darkest depths of our closets and clear out the back of the fridge; things that we maybe should have done months ago, but that’s the point of spring cleaning, right? After hours of hard labor and decluttering, nothing is more satisfying than having a clean home.

The same could be said about that novel you’re working on. Sometimes there is so much clutter on the page that it makes writing more like a chore. And instead of tidying up the task now, we postpone it, just like our house chores. But just like spring cleaning, it can be satisfying to work on bringing that novel one step closer to publication.

In spirit of the new season, we’ve listed some tips on spring cleaning your novel to help declutter and dust off those pages.

Remove extra verbiage

Flowery sentences are beautiful and powerful when used at the correct time. Descriptive scenes can be difficult to write because you don’t want to overdo it with the adjectives. If all sentences are overflowing with purple prose that make the content confusing, it’s time to do some spring cleaning. Make sure that each word is playing a pivotal role in the writing. If it’s simply there just to look pretty, you may want to remove it to keep focus.

Break-up sentences

When we first get an amazing idea, we tend to word-vomit on the page—all in one, drawn-out sentence. It’s time to go back and break up those run-on sentences. If you notice two ideas merging into one sentence, that could be a great place to break. Some sentences may not be as easy, so it’s crucial to decide where everything looks and sounds correct. Reading it out loud will give you a better ear for change where it’s needed! 

Take out widows and orphans

A great way to declutter a page and edit are finding all the widows and orphans. If you have one word taking up a whole line, take a look and decide whether or not the sentence could be trimmed to eliminate the hanging word. When you go back to the document, you might have an easier time focusing on the newly arranged content.

Grammar check

Correcting the smallest spelling or grammatical mistake can take a huge weight off the manuscript, making it easier to read. Take your time to go through and just edit grammar, then as you work your way through again, focus more on content or characters. You may even notice that it declutters a lot of the page, removing those red lines and keeping the rows clean!

Tidy loose ends

This task may end up being as time-consuming as it is to vacuum the whole house, but it has such a lasting effect that it’s important to the novel’s overall wellbeing. Read through the entire manuscript and tie up loose ends—that includes main arcs and sub arcs alike. The whole mystery of the book doesn’t have to be made obvious, but as long as the beginning connects with the end, then that’s a wrap! If something ends up not fitting, consider removing it. Don’t worry, you can always save it in another storyline later!

Outline your plot

If you’re having a difficult time figuring out what’s important, take a moment to look at your work as a whole. Write down the main plot and/or descriptions of the chapters. Having a strong outline is a powerful tool when going back to your work and reminding yourself which scenes are important.

Clean up your workstation

This one might be obvious, but it works wonders. It can be hard to concentrate in a cluttered area with pens and crumbled paper everywhere. Cleaning up your desk or writing area allows so much more space to be creative. Add in some inspirational sticky notes, or a fresh plant to liven up the room a little bit. Workstations are crucial when it comes to getting writing done, so don’t forget to take some time to make the space all that more inspiring!

What are some of your favorite ways to spring clean your novel?