Every story needs an editor. Whether it’s a copy edit, line edit, or developmental edit, a story becomes stronger if a professional editor has their eyes on it. And while I am a huge advocate of partnering with an editor, there are several “self-editing” tactics you can employ before your manuscript moves to a professional’s inbox.
The following is not an exhaustive list, but it has become my go-to checklist over the last seven books I’ve written.
1 – Remove filler words. Do a search for these words: just, very, like, basically, actually, okay, so, literally, that, about, almost, seemingly and suddenly. From my experience 9/10 times, these words are not needed, and the sentence becomes stronger when they’re removed.
2 – Look for the overuse of ellipses and em dashes. Speaking from experience, these punctuation marks are my Achilles Heel when writing a first draft. While they might serve a purpose as you initially tell yourself the story and jot down ideas, leaving too many in the final version will inevitably create a slower reader experience. Review each use of your ellipses and em dashes and determine if a simple comma is the better punctuation mark.
3 – Check for varied sentence structure. It’s easy to fall into a pattern, which means it’s easy to repeat the same sentence structure. One of my largest pitfalls comes from using the word “as” too often. For example: “Take a seat,” she mutters as I shuffle in behind our forensics team. Including the word “as” is easy to overuse as a way to construct a sentence. Balance your manuscript between dialogue, description, action, and emotion.
4 – Remove character names in dialogue. When we speak in real life, we rarely use the name of another person unless we’re calling for their attention. Read through your dialogue. You’ll be surprised to see how often you may have inserted the names of your characters. Write how you speak unless you think it’s unclear who the dialogue is directed at.
5 – Check for passive voice. Train your brain to avoid the word “was”. It has no place in good storytelling. When you use “was”, you’re telling the reader what’s happening, and not showing them. Passive words take the reader out of the story, rather than helping the reader feel as if they’re in the moment. For example, if I wrote, “she was standing by the bed,” I’m writing from a passive place. Rather, restructure the sentence to, “she stood by the bed”. Active writing uses less words and allows the reader to be in the moment instead of reliving it.
I often teach my students to apply the “by zombies” test. If you can write a sentence and use the phrase “by zombies” correctly, it’s a key indicator that you’re writing in passive voice. For example, “the party was hosted by zombies”. It’s passive. Restructure the sentence actively to “zombies hosted the party.” Active writing is better writing.
6 – Remove adverbs. I learned this tip from Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing. Adverbs weaken writing. An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective or verb—often something that ends in “ly”. Based on Stephen King’s advice, I try hard to limit myself to just three adverbs per book (roughly 75,000 words).
7 – Do a search for long sentences. Long sentences can easily trip up a reader. I strive to ensure each sentence I write is no longer than 25 words. As you read through your manuscript on your first self-editing round, keep an eye out for complex sentences. Oftentimes, there’s an easy way to break the thought into two more digestible parts.
8- Watch for repeat/crutch words or phrases. As you begin to read through your first draft, these words and phrases will become obvious due to their overuse. In the last book I wrote, my editor pointed out the words “scoop”, “ram” and “lips”. I’m ashamed to say how many times they each appeared in my early drafts! Catch these words and phrases early and clean them up as you go.
9 – Double check POVs. It’s easy to fall victim to “head hopping”. In other words, if you’re writing a dual or multi-POV story, be sure you’re expressing the thoughts and emotions of a single character and not dipping into the point of view of another. Keep the lens consistent.
10 – Proofread for spelling and grammar. This last tip is obvious, but nonetheless important! Proofread everything. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. If you don’t trust your skills or prefer to have a second set of eyes, share it with a friend or use a tool like Grammarly.
Self-editing is an important step. Don’t overlook it before handing your manuscript over to an editor. Some editors charge per word they correct. Not only are you helping your bank account, but you’re also freeing up your editor’s eyes to focus on the more important components of your story.
If you have more tips to add to this list, drop them in
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