Change The World With Words

“Writing is rewriting. A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes.  To fall in love with the first draft to the point where one cannot change it is to greatly enhance the prospects of never publishing.” 

- Richard North Patterson

Editing your own book is a challenge. The first piece of advice any responsible publisher or experienced writer will give you is probably “pay for professional editing services”.

Badly edited work is a common reason for rejection, and unfortunately self-publishers who also decide to self-edit may find their book stands out for all the wrong reasons. But what if you have to edit your own book? What if you genuinely can’t afford professional editing services? Or what if you just want to get your book in the best possible shape before sending it off to an editor? I’ve been working on editing the first draft of my first novel and have put together a checklist for myself (please feel free to add to it in the comments section). Asking yourself the following questions as you edit can help you do the best possible job of self-editing. This particular list applies mainly to fiction writing. (A post on editing non-fiction is in the works. Please subscribe if you don’t want to miss it.)

1. Did you leave a suitable amount of time between finishing the project and the edit? The longer the project, the longer you need. For a full-length novel, you probably need at least a couple of weeks.

2. Did you use some of that time to read something that will help you in the rewrite? (I recommend the rewriting section of Stephen King’s On Writing or  Get Your Writing Fighting Fit: Editing Secrets Revealed.)

3.  Have you started with a kick ass first sentence? Think Orwell’s 1984 “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Ask yourself if your book would make it onto a book reviewer’s list of ‘great/surprising/compelling first sentences’ in your genre.

4. Is the beginning where it should be? Does the story grab the reader’s attention from the very first words? Have you started in the middle of the action or wasted two pages setting the scene?

5. Is it clear straight away who the main character is? Generally speaking, readers expect the first character they meet to be the main character.

6. Is it clear fairly quickly what the main character’s problem is? And his motivations for solving it?

7. Is there someone (an antagonist) and/or something (a situation or obstacle) working against the main character?

8. Is the antagonist’s motivation as strong as the protagonist’s – and just as clear?

9. Do the protagonist and antagonist both have something vitally important (to them) at stake?

10. Will the reader be able to identify with the main characters?

11. Are all the characters realistic (remember no-one is ever all good or all bad)?

12. Is the protagonist out gunned? The easiest way to create lots of conflict is to have a character battling more or stronger characters, with bigger or better weapons (literally or figuratively).

13. Are the villains strong enough to cause the protagonist real problems? Often authors don’t really like their antagonists, which is understandable, but it can lead to them creating weak characters.

14. Is your dialogue realistic?

15. Does each character have a distinct voice?

16. Do you need every scene? Are some scenes slowing the story down? Can they be edited out or cut shorter (or broken up to disperse the information in them throughout the book?).

17. Do you need to lengthen or add a scene to keep the stakes high, or add information to the story?

18. Are your transitions quick and effective?

19. Have you transitioned neatly in and out of any flashbacks?

20. Is your setting clear to the reader?

21. Have you edited out all unnecessary words, sentences, passages and scenes?

22. Have you checked to make sure you didn’t edit out something you later refer to?

23. Does every sentence move the story forward?

24. Does anyone do something ‘out of character” for the sake of the plot?

25. Did you foreshadow any coincidences or plot twists?

26. Did you look for themes that crop up throughout your book and emphasize them?

27. Did you fact check everything you present as factual?

28. Is the ending satisfying?

29. Are all your loose ends tied up?

30. Will your final chapter make readers want to buy your next book?

Finally, even if you self-edit, it really helps to get someone else to look at your work. Consider an online or real life critique group, or a writer’s workshop where you will get some of your work critiqued. I’ve just come across the site Scribeophile, where authors can critique other’s work in return for getting a critique of their own. It looks like an interesting concept, and basic membership is free.

What’s your favourite editing tip? Feel free to share in the comments.

Related Posts

• Ten Tips for Writing Dialogue
• Three (Unconventional) Writing Tips for Children’s Writers
• Ten Things Stephen King Taught Me About Writing
• Promote Yourself, Your Writing and Your 2011 NaNoWriMo Attempt
• Ten Things J K Rowling Taught Me About Writing