Be Your Own Best Editor

By Jonnie Jacobs and Lora Roberts

Before you send your book to an agent or publisher, be sure it's the very best you can make it. Here are points to consider as you edit your work.

Types of Editing

Editing ranges from rough backspacing while you're composing, to fine-tuning just before you send your manuscript out, when you check every comma and evaluate every adverb. It's accomplished with an eye to several factors:

• Overall plot (clues, pacing, elements of suspense)
• Language (use of the senses, individual word choice, transitions, tightening)
• Punctuation and usage 

Remember, the goal is to make writing tight and effective for the purpose of moving the story and involving the reader, NOT to show off your prose.

First Draft

Some authors write their entire book before going back through the pages. Others rewrite as they go. Every writer has his or her own comfort level for what constitutes a first draft.  Find what works for you.

Timeline vs. Outline

Some authors outline in detail before beginning a book, while others "discover" the story as they write it.  In either case, it helps to keep a timeline of events—Do you have 72 hours in one day?  Have you left characters or clues hanging?  Do your characters know only what they should know?

Questions to ask yourself as you edit:

• Am I showing the story in a way that involves the reader or merely telling it?  Narrative summary is sometimes necessary, but effective use of dialogue or internal monologue may better serve to put the reader into the scene. Picture the action of the book occurring in scenes that move the story along. Transition between scenes by letting the reader know which character's point of view is operative, the time and place of the scene, etc.  
• Is my writing effective? An intimate moment between characters should reveal something about them. An action scene should have enough description to carry the reader along. Show not only the story but also the characters ("I was upset" vs. "My stomach clenched and I had trouble swallowing").
• Do the characters' actions define them? Let the reader learn about characters through their actions on the page, rather than in a block of narrative description or, worse, dialogue of the "My, your black hair and blue eyes look lovely today, sister Mary" type.

Point of View

• Know the difference between first, third, and omniscient point of view, and between close and distant narrative voice.  Know which one you're using and make sure you're consistent.
• Use language and syntax appropriate to the character and voice.

Dialogue

When editing dialogue:

• Check that each character's voice is consistent and unique.
• Break up long monologues with action.
• Give and take should be responsive.
• Avoid talking heads.  Ground in time and place using the five senses; let the characters' emotions come through.
• Take care in using dialogue not to tell characters what they already know (As you know, Bill, I was born in Texas thirty years ago...).
• Pay attention to beats and tags. 
• Is it clear who's speaking?  Create a tag line every 3 or 4 lines as general rule.
• Observe the basics of format and punctuation for dialogue.
• Avoid redundancy ("I hate you," he said with anger).
• Tags, like fiddling with hair or jiggling knee, can help distinguish characters and remind us what they look like.
• Don't overdo grimaced, smiled, chuckled and the like.  In fact, it's difficult to chuckle words ("You're funny, aren't you?" he chuckled).
• Don't be afraid to use "said."  It blends in like a punctuation mark.
• The first draft of conversation can be the bare bones of what you want to convey, or it can go to the other extreme and carry too much fluff. Weed it out, or expand it as needed.
• Verbatim translation of everyday conversation is NOT what you're after.

Pay Attention to Details

Make sure your writing conveys:

• Feelings—what your viewpoint character is going through
• Senses—that you used all the senses to create setting and further action

Sentence structure:

• Structure sentences for impact.  The end of a sentence carries the most punch 
• Vary construction 
• Compound sentences are often more effective if broken into several shorter ones
• Less is more
• Avoid beginning too many sentences with gerunds or "as"    

Word choice:

• Use precise, concrete and specific words rather than general or generic
• Watch for words and phrases you tend to repeat
• Think about meaning, tone, vividness and sound 
• There are 92 ways be sad. Find the most apt one
• Look for telling details
• Beware of cliches and worn adjectives and adverbs. Watch out for just, only, seemed to, quite, sort of, relatively
• An unusual word or clever turn of phrase stops the reader if used more than once

Movement of book:

• Chronological order is often best.
• Logistics of action—can things really happen as you've described them?
• Transitions—does action flow smoothly between scenes?
• Kill your darlings—those beautiful, flowery descriptions of the sunset are getting in the way of the narrative flow.

Other considerations:

• Examine the white space. Are your paragraphs long and dense? Break them up to provide more white relief on the printed page.
• Don't overuse the list of three.
• Does your character pose too many questions in a row?
• Check that you are writing in the active voice, not the passive voice.
• Check pronouns.
• Watch for characters nodding, smiling, laughing. We often use these actions as fillers in first draft.

Lee Harris ~ Jonnie Jacobs ~ Lora Roberts ~ Valerie Wolzien
Links ~ Newsletter ~ Press Kit ~ The Writing Life ~ Recipes ~ Books In Print ~ Home

©2005-06 by Lee Harris, Jonnie Jacobs, Lora Roberts and Valerie Wolzien.