Self-Editing by Lori Handeland In his book HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD NOVEL II, James Frey refers to rewriting as 'Re-dreaming the dream.' We dream the dream when we write the first draft, but only those who are able to re-dream that dream can hope to achieve publication. Self editing is a very important aspect of re-writing. It is the last thing a writer does before sending the manuscript off to their agent or an editor. I look at self-editing as a final housecleaning chore. Not a lot ...