Congratulations! You’ve poured your heart and soul into your manuscript, weaving a tapestry of characters, plot twists, and emotions. Yet, before your literary creation can dazzle readers, it requires a crucial step: editing. This for me, is the hard part, cutting fluff, sentences I spent hours finely tuning, only to then dump them in the bin. I am in the middle of fine tuning Even Gods Are Blind and it is getting there but all these blog posts are a perfect example of productive procrastination…
Effective self-editing encompasses various stages, from developmental editing to copy editing (also known as line editing) and finally, proofreading. This comprehensive approach is the chisel and brush that transforms a rough draft into a masterpiece.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the art of self-editing for fiction writers. Whether you’re a seasoned author or just starting your writing journey, these ten invaluable tips will guide you through the process of refining your work at every level. Get ready to roll up your sleeves, put on your editor’s hat, and embark on the journey to enhance your manuscript’s clarity, cohesion, and brilliance.
1. Distance and Time
After finishing your manuscript, give it some breathing room. Let it simmer on the back burner for at least two weeks before diving into the editing process. This distance allows you to approach your work with fresh eyes.
2. Developmental Editing – Start with the Big Picture
Begin your editing journey by examining the overall structure and plot. Check for pacing issues, plot holes, and character arcs that need development or resolution. Something might make sense to you but this can be where you realise, you never explained your character’s new superpower or why they just inherited the run down junk shop. This is the stage where you shape the foundation of your story and ensure that it is strong enough to hold everything else up.
3. Show, Don’t Tell
In the developmental editing phase, focus on “showing” rather than “telling.” Let readers experience the story through actions, dialogue, and sensory details, refining your manuscript’s depth.
4. Character Consistency
Ensure your characters’ actions, motivations, and personalities remain consistent throughout the story. Watch out for any discrepancies in their behaviour or development.
5. Dialogue Prowess
During developmental editing, review your dialogue for authenticity and purpose. Dialogue should reveal character traits, advance the plot, or deepen relationships. Remove any extraneous chatter.
6. Tighten Your Prose (Copy Editing – Line Editing)
In the copy editing phase, eliminate unnecessary words and phrases. Tightening your prose not only improves readability but also makes your writing more impactful.
7. Grammar and Punctuation (Copy Editing – Line Editing)
Pay meticulous attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Sloppy errors can distract readers from your story. I have read the suggestion, that you could read each sentence from the end to the beginning, that way you focus more on the finer details rather than become distracted by the story.
8. Read Aloud (Copy Editing – Line Editing)
Reading your work aloud helps you identify awkward sentences, pacing issues, and areas that require a more natural flow.
9. Seek Feedback
Don’t hesitate to share your work with beta readers or writing peers. Their fresh perspectives can uncover blind spots and offer invaluable suggestions. I know, sometimes, no matter how many times I have read something, I might miss a spelling error because my brain just does refuses to see it. A new set of eyes can help.
10. The Final Pass (Proofreading)
After multiple rounds of editing, perform a final, comprehensive pass to catch any remaining issues. Proofread meticulously, checking for typos and formatting inconsistencies. This is the stage where you polish your manuscript to a shine.
You can work through your manuscript in either of two ways:
- You can go through each chapter individually, focusing on one step at a time, and repeat this process a total of 8 times.
- Alternatively, you can review the entire manuscript 8 times, addressing each step during each review.”
Remember, self-editing is a multifaceted skill that improves with practice. Embrace the process, celebrate your progress, and know that each edit brings you one step closer to refining your manuscript into a literary gem that will captivate readers.
I hope you have an easier time than I am, I find writing so much easier than editing. Let me know below how you are getting on with editing. Are you just starting, stuck in the middle like I am or are you finished and can offer any more suggestions?
2 responses to “10 Easy Tips for Self-Editing Your Fictional Writing”
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It really takes me out of story when i come across obvious errors with spelling/grammar, worse in a printed book. With eBooks you have the facility (on Kindle anyway, i don’t know about other providers) to highlight and submit errors when you find them, so at least you can get some satisfaction from that. I’ve never actually made a proper note of them to myself to be able to go back to see if a change was made as a result of submitting that report though.
Do you have beta readers already? How does one get chosen to become a beta reader? Hint, hint, can i be one for you?
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Hey Scott! Hope you are well and thanks for reading. Yes, mistakes do pull you out but we are only human and mistakes happen. I didn’t know you could do that on Kindle, that is very helpful. I once messaged an author on twitter to point out that she called her main character by a different name and she was actually nice about it and thanked me.
As for being a beta reader, sure, I can send you it after this round of editing, that would be awesome.
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2 Comments
Scott Reid
It really takes me out of story when i come across obvious errors with spelling/grammar, worse in a printed book. With eBooks you have the facility (on Kindle anyway, i don’t know about other providers) to highlight and submit errors when you find them, so at least you can get some satisfaction from that. I’ve never actually made a proper note of them to myself to be able to go back to see if a change was made as a result of submitting that report though.
Do you have beta readers already? How does one get chosen to become a beta reader? Hint, hint, can i be one for you?
zoejwalker13
Hey Scott! Hope you are well and thanks for reading. Yes, mistakes do pull you out but we are only human and mistakes happen. I didn’t know you could do that on Kindle, that is very helpful. I once messaged an author on twitter to point out that she called her main character by a different name and she was actually nice about it and thanked me.
As for being a beta reader, sure, I can send you it after this round of editing, that would be awesome.