Self-Editing Is Not for the Faint of Heart
By Andrea Merrell
Writing without revising is the literary equivalent
of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear.
~ Patricia Fuller
If I want to see my husband cringe, all I have to do is say, “Let’s move the furniture.” This is especially true during the holidays as we make room for the Christmas tree. He expects me to know exactly where to place each piece so he only has to move it once.
If it were only that easy.
The truth: I have an idea in my head where something should be placed.
The problem: Once it gets there, it doesn’t fit the overall plan.
Writing is much the same as rearranging furniture. Many times when we get our words out of our head and in front of our eyes, what made sense before doesn’t make sense now. That’s when the real work begins.
Once we have our words on paper—or tucked away in our computer—it’s time for the editing/proofreading/rewriting process. This is not for the faint of heart. But if we want our words to shine, we can’t skip this process. Even if we plan to hire a professional editor, our manuscript should be as clean as possible before we send it into cyberspace.
Here are a few elements to look for when beginning the process:
Start with the basics: grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Look up words you’re unsure of, especially hyphenated words.
Don’t mix past and present tense, especially in the same paragraph.
Avoid overusing quotation marks and exclamation points.
Use correct formatting (12 pt. Times New Roman, double-spacing, one-inch margins). No fancy fonts, and no bold, all-capped, or underlined words.
Glance at your paragraphs. Are you beginning too many with the same word (He, She, They … and especially I)?
Familiarize yourself with your pet words and phrases, and don’t use them over and over throughout your manuscript. Do a word search and eliminate them.
Get rid of weasel words (that, just, really, because, however, therefore, thus, so), and be careful not to overuse adverbs (suddenly, quickly, quietly, softly, gently … well, you get the idea). Use strong verbs instead.
Read your manuscript aloud for syntax and sentence structure. There should be a natural flow to your story (both fiction and nonfiction), and events must be in chronological order. Learn how to weave-in backstory or flashbacks without losing your reader.
Be careful with POV (point of view). No head-hopping.
Show, don’t tell your story. Paint a picture with your words.
Editing and rewriting can also be compared to remodeling a house. It’s easier to build a house from the ground up, but sometimes the initial structure is beautiful and sound—it just needs to be made a little stronger by some important and well-thought-out additions or changes.
Don’t let the process derail you. It’s a natural part of the writer’s life. Whatever you do, keep working until your manuscript is as clean and professional as possible.
ASSIGNMENT:
Take a look at your WIP (work in progress), and see how many of the elements we talked about, need to be addressed. In the next few weeks, we will look a little closer at ways to improve our writing.
_______
Photo courtesy of pixabay.com and annekarakash
January 24, Assignment Four - Time to Shoot the Weasel Words
1/24/2021 7:00:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 3 - The Role of Speaker Tags and Beats
1/21/2021 7:34:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 2 (2 of 2) Week of January 10
1/13/2021 7:00:00 AM by: Andrea Merrell
January 10, Assignment 2 (1 of 2 assignments)
1/10/2021 7:00:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 1 - ACWC January 5 - Let's Start with a Bio
1/5/2021 11:25:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 8 & 9 - Titles & Sentences - Nancy Lohr
2/13/2020 7:29:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 7 - What in the World is a One Sheet - Andrea Merrell
2/7/2020 7:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
February 1 - Assignments 5 & 6 - Linda Glaz
2/1/2020 7:31:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
Sensory Perception Enhances Your Writing - Assignment 4
1/26/2020 10:09:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Don't Write Your Bio - Write WHY ME? - Assignment 3
1/18/2020 7:00:00 PM by: Bob Hostetler
How to Make the Most of Your Conference Experience - Assignment 2
1/18/2020 4:15:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Appropriate Emails - [email protected] - Assignment 1
1/11/2020 7:47:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
How Not to Get an Agent - Assignment 7
2/10/2019 5:47:00 PM by: Bob Hostetler
January 27 Assignment 5 -Storytelling Your Life Lessons
1/27/2019 8:55:00 PM by: Lucinda Secrest McDowell
It's Not What You Know; It's Who You Know - Assignment 4
1/20/2019 5:44:00 PM by: Bob Hostetler
Stay on Track with a Writing Schedule - Assignment 3
1/13/2019 7:35:00 PM by: Larry Leech
Assignment 2 - Finding Speaker Topics
1/5/2019 7:38:00 PM by: Beth Fortune
IMAGERY–WHEN THIS IS LIKE THAT
12/30/2018 9:00:00 PM by: By Ann Tatlock
Asheville Christian Writers Conference Privacy Policy
6/4/2018 8:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
2018 Writers Charge
2/18/2018 10:20:00 PM by: Cindy
Last Chance - Assignment 7
2/11/2018 7:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
An Adjective Safari - Assignment 6
2/4/2018 7:30:00 PM by: Denise Loock
Get in the Mood to Write - Assignment 5
1/28/2018 7:10:00 PM by: Larry J. Leech II
Getting Rid of “I” Disease - Assignment 3
1/14/2018 9:37:00 PM by: Andrea Merrell
Curb Your Adverb Addiction - Assignment 2
1/7/2018 7:30:00 PM by: Denise Loock
WHO ARE YOU? - Writing Your Bio
11/17/2017 7:30:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
WRITING IN A PICKLE
11/13/2017 9:45:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
THE NaNoWriMo CHALLENGE
11/10/2017 11:30:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
BRINGING YOUR CHARACTERS TO LIFE
2/12/2017 3:35:00 PM by: By Andrea Merrell
DON’T LET SPEAKER BEATS RUIN YOUR MANUSCRIPT
2/5/2017 3:43:00 PM by: By Andrea Merrell
HOW TO CRAFT GREAT DIALOGUE
1/30/2017 3:49:00 PM by: By Andrea Merrell
AVOID REPETITION AND WRITE TIGHT
1/20/2017 3:55:00 PM by: By Andrea Merrell
THE QUOTATION QUOTA – ASSIGNMENT 2
1/13/2017 3:38:00 PM by: By Andrea Merrell
ELIMINATE THE EXCLAMATION POINTS – ASSIGNMENT 1
1/7/2017 3:43:00 PM by: By Andrea Merrell
WRITING ADVICE FROM MARK TWAIN: WRITE WITHOUT PAY UNTIL SOMEBODY OFFERS TO PAY
12/22/2016 3:48:00 PM by: By Sandra Merville Hart
WHEN THE STORY STALLS IN THE MIDDLE
12/20/2016 3:51:00 PM by: by Sandra Merville Hart
WHO REALLY SELLS YOUR BOOKS ?
9/20/2016 3:53:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE APPOINTMENTS
9/16/2016 3:56:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
ARRRGH! ANOTHER REJECTION – CINDY SPROLES
9/12/2016 3:59:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
FROZEN IN PLACE – ICEY SELF-TALK TO FREEZE YOUR WRITING
9/8/2016 3:15:00 PM by: By Cindy Sproles
THE BIO – THE FRAGRANCE OF WHO YOU ARE
9/3/2016 3:21:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
THE PAIN OF UNSOLICITED
8/29/2016 3:24:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
REDUNDANCY: AN EXCESSIVE, OPPRESSIVE, PERVASIVE DISEASE
8/26/2016 3:31:00 PM by: By Denise Loock
7 THINGS TO DO NOW TO BE READY WHEN WRITING INSPIRATION STRIKES – EDIE MELSON
8/23/2016 3:33:00 PM by: by Edie Melson
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS
8/20/2016 3:36:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ CONFERENCE?
8/17/2016 3:47:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
YOU NEED A PLATFORM – LIVING A STORY- ASSIGNMENT 3
1/20/2016 3:49:00 PM by: By La-tan Murphy
THE ONE SHEET
1/8/2016 3:51:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
OVER-EDIT?
11/4/2015 3:54:00 PM by: By Steven James
