In a new post, C.S. Lakin offers self-editing tips for fiction writers. “Sure, writers can—and should, when necessary—hire a professional copyeditor to go through and correct a manuscript before it is sent off to an agent or book designer in preparation for self-publishing,” she says. “But the writer knows her material better than anyone else, so she’s the best person for the job.”
While there’s no single best way to edit your own work, Lakin suggests a few best practices to smooth the process. Here are a few of them:
- Read your work aloud. This helps you identify awkward phrasing, repetitive words and syntax, and misspelled or missing words.
- Search and destroy weasel words. “Weasel words are the words you throw in out of habit,” Lakin explains. “Often they are pesky adverbs like very and just. Or phrases like began to or started to.” Make a list of your worst habits and search your document for them, so you can rewrite where you can.
- Trim down sentences. Can you rewrite some sentences so they are more concise, while communicating the same effect? Lakin says less is more and usually better.
- Give it a rest. Take a break from your writing and come back to it with fresh eyes. A short article might require only an hour or two, but you might need a week or even a month away from a novel. You’ll be much more likely to spot weak dialogue, overwriting, and missing information.
- Watch your grammar. Check your spelling, verb conjugations, and punctuation, especially commas.
- Avoid passive construction. Sentences beginning with phrases such as “It was” and “There were” are weak and often vague. If you use too many, especially in a single paragraph or page, your writing will start to read like a grade school assignment.
