I know it's "M" month, but I'm deep in revisions right now and have editing on the brain, so I thought I'd share my top eight tips. (This is actually a list of my personal writing bugaboos, but you may be able to relate.)
We all know
publishers have limited resources to devote to editing these days. Many editors are overburdened and
underappreciated. They lack the time to
spend with individual authors tightening scenes and strengthening story arcs. And copy editing is becoming a lost art. I don’t believe I’ve read a book by a top
author in the past year that didn’t contain at least three glaring copy edit
errors. Now, more than ever, writers are
responsible for the product that ultimately reaches the reader.
I had a
wonderful experience with my first book, Harvest
of Dreams. My editor was gentle and patient, guiding me
through three rounds of edits until we had a satisfying final version. I soon realized an objective editor is worth
her weight in gold. I thought I knew how
to write, but during the editing process she taught me to recognize and remove
redundancies, energize passive writing, and beat down my proclivity to stuff sentences
with adverbs. She did such a good job that my third book, The Treasure of Como Bluff, needed only a few minor tweaks.
Unfortunately,
we can’t always rely on someone else to point out the flaws in our work and
suggest corrections. If we want to get
published and stay published, we have to nourish our inner self-editor.
I’m not
talking about the little voice of self-doubt that criticizes every word choice
and threatens to strangle your muse during the first or second draft. I’m talking about a critic who can review the
almost-final product and see mistakes with detached clarity.
Every writer
should develop a self-editing checklist based on his or her weaknesses. The process requires self-knowledge, but
isn’t that one of the ultimate goals and rewards of writing?
Here’s a
short version of mine. Perhaps some of
these will strike a chord with you, too.
1.
Watch
those #%$&* adverbs!
2.
Remove
unnecessary “that”s.
3.
Watch
for word echoes (words repeated too close together).
4.
Keep
verbs active (within reason). I once had
to give up on a mystery after three chapters because the author had amped up
every single verb. The result was unnatural
and exhausting.
5.
Show,
don’t tell.
6.
Balance
dialogue tags and beats. Too few and the
reader won’t know who’s talking. Too
many and you interrupt the flow.
7.
Use
repetitive words or elements with caution.
8.
Maintain
consistent point of view. This is partly
a matter of style, but I prefer deep third person POV and try to catch myself
if I start drifting father away.
There are
many more pitfalls in writing, so find your own, and happy editing!
Alison
6 comments:
Great editing tips, Alison. I wish I were stronger at self-editing. So often I work hard to correct one annoying weakness only to discover another one. It's like someone sticking their finger in a leaking dam.
I'm with Vonnie. I correct one of my own weaknesses only to find another. Love the term word echoes. Great advice. Thank you.
I like your list. I just finished my final draft for my editor and used a similar list. I had to check to see if I used all the senses, too.
Even when I think I've caught everything, I haven't. You're right about the value of a good editor!
Now, if only I could always take my own advice. I've mastered some of these, but some mistakes seem to be burned in my psyche - so hard to get rid of.
My newest is not enough internal emotional conflict! What gives! Sometimes it seems I can't win no matter what I do. I also have the other 8 Alison mentioned, just not quite so much anymore. Is editing always this difficult? Geez!
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