How to Take a Story from “Good” to Great

Self-publishing costs can add up, so one of the best ways to save money on editing is to take your story from good to great before bringing in an editor. This is also the goal for those seeking traditional publishing as well–not to save costs, but to stand out in the slush pile.

Whichever path you choose, it pays to have a clean, well-written story, and thankfully, there are plenty of free ways to strengthen your manuscript before you send it on to an editor or agent. Let’s look at 5 big ones.

How to strengthen your story (for free!)

1. Learn all you can about writing craft. Honestly, read all the great books out there, and spend time reading blog posts. Watch live sessions and free webinars. Become a sponge, because this education is pure gold, helping you become a stronger storyteller.

2. Join a critique group or community. Lots of writers talk about giving their story to beta readers (which can be helpful), but not all betas are writers, and most creatives need feedback that comes from skilled storytellers. Critiques are all about helping a writer see what is and isn’t working. Not only will objective feedback help expose weaker areas of a story, but the writer learns things they can apply to every story moving forward. They also gain valuable skills by critiquing others, too. Here’s a critique community to check out.

3. Read in your genre–especially what’s current. Not to knock the classics (which can teach us a lot), but it’s important to know what this generation of readers is expecting. Stories evolve, and reading widely in your genre helps you see which elements are important to include, what tropes and themes are popular, which characters resonate with today’s readers, and more. Whatever experience readers expect, you want to deliver.

4. Be patient. This one is so important because when developing writers rush toward publication, they shortchange themselves. Skilled writing takes time to develop, and story refinement is also a longer process. Pushing to hit personal deadlines “just to get it out there” can mean you’ll pay more for editing (as there’s more to fix). Some may think they can skip editing (or rely on AI/a friend/a cheap freelancer), and it usually means the story will never reach its full potential.

It’s common to underestimate just how much effort a story will need, and rushing is usually a mistake. So be patient, work, and learn. It’s worth it!

5. Take advantage of One Stop for Writers’ powerful Writing Checklists and Tip Sheet Database. Sometimes we know our story can be better, but we need direction on how to strengthen it. Knowing what to look for and where helps us take it from good to great.

One Stop for Writers’ database is filled with free tip sheets and checklists, so choose the area you’d like to work on and start downloading tip sheets that may help!

CHARACTER PSYCHOLOGY, MOTIVATION, AND RELATIONSHIPS TIP SHEETS

EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION, BODY LANGUAGE, AND DEEP POV TIP SHEETS

CONFLICT, STAKES, AND PLOT MOMENTUM TIP SHEETS

STRUCTURE, OPENINGS, STORY FLOW, AND THEME TIP SHEETS

SETTING AND WORLDBUILDING TIP SHEETS

SHOW VS. TELL, REVISION, AND LINE-LEVEL STRENGTHENING TIP SHEETS

If you use our Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus Guides or the One Stop for Writers Thesaurus Database, you understand how important description is. These tutorials can power up your description:

ONE-PAGE TUTORIALS FOR KEY AREAS OF DESCRIPTION

Things you shouldn’t do to strengthen a story

Just as there are things you should do to get your story as strong as it can be before moving to the next step in your publishing journey, there are things you shouldn’t do. For example…

1. Rely mainly on family members and friends for feedback and editing. It’s great to source friends and family to read a story and weigh in on what worked and didn’t, but this alone isn’t enough. Even if you have someone in your corner who is a voracious reader or was/is a teacher, it’s unlikely they will know storycraft and writing technique well enough to get your story to where it needs to be. So I recommend you source them for their opinions, but don’t stop there.

2. Rely mainly on Beta Readers. Just as it is with family and friends, most beta readers are not writers, and so they may be unable to provide deeper feedback. So use Beta readers, but make sure to workshop the story heavily yourself and find others to help you further refine as needed.

3. Rely mainly on AI. AI is a touchy topic, and many of you will absolutely not use it. This message is for people who do: Be careful. AI seems so eager to help, full of advice…so why not let it make your story better? Well, because it often makes it worse, mainly by draining away voice and suggesting ‘improvements’ using language that doesn’t fit your style. Too, it likes to offer popular ideas based on its training datasets…meaning those ideas are overused. Another problem with AI is that it was programmed to be a people pleaser. This means it will spare your feelings rather than be honest about your story and the work it still needs.

4. Rely on only yourself. I hope this is self-explanatory, but we all need help…professional help. Becca and I not only rely on each other, but we also have beta readers, editors, and proofreaders. Sometimes we seek out experts and psychologists. We put a ton of time and effort into each book, and so not sourcing the right help to make our guides the best they can be would be shooting ourselves in the foot.

Summary for Busy Writers: Whether you’re on track to self-publish or looking to wow an agent with your story, making a manuscript as strong as it can be is paramount. With patience and effort (and One Stop for Writers’ amazing tip sheet database), you can do just that, for free!

Next steps. . .

Now, if you have done all you can and it’s time to source an editor, you want to find the right one. We’ve put a list together of vetted editors, coaches, and proofreaders (scroll down the page). Be sure to research potential freelancers carefully. Ask for references, talk to writers who have worked with them, and ask for a test edit to see if they are a good fit for your story. Happy revising!

The post How to Take a Story from “Good” to Great appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

The Bookshelf Muse is a hub for writers, educators and anyone with a love for the written word. Featuring Thesaurus Collections that encourage stronger descriptive skills, this award-winning blog will help writers hone their craft and take their writing to the next level.

Source: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2026/01/story-from-good-to-great/