Editing.

What's your response to that word?  Did you:
    A.)  Tuck tail and run for your wubby
    B.)  Smile so big your cheeks hurt
    C.)  Give a deer-in-the-headlights stare

If you want to take your manuscript from good to great, the only real answer is B. Editing is the name of the game, folks. Here's a handy-dandy checklist for what to look for . . .

Top 5 Tips For Polishing a Manuscript

Repeat Words or Phrases
Using pet words over and over is like an annoying fly nipping at your reader's tender flesh. Yep. It's that irritating. Read over the manuscript as a whole and highlight the repeat words, then ditch most of them.

Cut the Cliches
Cute as a button. The long and short of it. Ruby red lips. In a reader's mind, when you write these kinds of phrases, it sounds like this: yada, yada, yada. Why? Because they've been there, done that, dude. Insert fresh ways of saying things.

Look for Bugaboos
If you've got a pregnant character who still hasn't had their baby a year and half later, then you've got a serious problem. Watch for bugaboos like this and fix them.

Share It
This is a good time to package up your little darling and send it off to a trusted first-reader, someone other than your mom, someone who will be brutally honest.

Cut the Fat
Zero in on where there are paragraphs of description, then weed them ruthlessly. Delete sentences that say the same thing but in a different way. Saying something once is enough. Your reader isn't stupid.

Editing is the most important step in making your manuscript publishable. Don't skimp on this step. Take the time to go through your novel several times, word by word. That's what will make your writing stand out from the rest.