1. GIVE THE DRAFT A CHANCE
Write freely and unchecked. Tempted as you may be to go back and start editing what you just wrote—or even what you wrote yesterday—don’t! Not only do you not have the emotional distance, if you start editing yourself and judging the quality of your work, your creativity is sure to get squandered.
2. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
After you finish your manuscript, don’t immediately start editing.
Give yourself distance from your writing. Do something completely different to change your frame of mind, such as go on vacation. It’s also a good idea to immerse yourself in other forms of creativity. Other forms of art can help inspire your own.
3. TACKLE YOUR EDITING ONE TYPE AT A TIME
Once you’re back from a break and you’re ready to tackle your edit, break your editing into categories.
Typos – Check for spelling, grammar, and awkward phrasing.
Plot – Verify that all questions posed in your story have been answered.
Pacing – Check that there are not parts of your story that drag it down and feel out of pace.
Characters – Give every character a purpose. Are they believable? Do they have a completed arch?
Scenes – If the scene isn’t developing a plot or character, it needs to be axed.
4. READ IT ALOUD
By reading your manuscript aloud, you’ll inevitably catch some spelling and grammar problems. One of the best reasons to read aloud is to check for pacing and tone. Sometimes you can auto-correct when you are reading silently, but reading your manuscript in your own voice at a normal speed will help you catch errors you weren’t able to detect before.
If you don’t want to read your entire manuscript aloud, consider using a text to speech reader instead. This way you can listen for errors and unnatural pacing with ease.
5. GIVE YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO SOMEONE ELSE TO READ
You (or an app) can’t be the only one to read your manuscript during the editing process. You should definitely give it to a trusted friend or family member to get an outside opinion on coherency, flow, and character cohesion.
Give them permission to tear it apart piece by piece. They won’t want to do it, so insist. You have final say in the editing process; however, another perspective should always be welcome.
6. CONSIDER EDITING AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER
Instead of editing on your computer, why not edit in a completely different place than your creative zone?
Print off your manuscript, then take the printout with a red pen and head to your most comfortable chair. You may find that editing in a new place will help to change your mindframe.
7. TURN ON SPELL CHECK
A lot of writers prefer to write with spell check off as a way to tamp down that editor voice that can sometimes creep in and sideline your creativity. However, in editing mode, turn the spell check back on.
Those red squiggly lines are painful but a necessary part of the editing process. You need to address those before getting into the real meat of your editing process.
8. TARGET REPETITIVE WORDS
Do you have words that you repeat over and over again? If you’re a writer, the answer is yes. We all go through periods where we’re addicted to one word or phrase, which you’ll find used over and over again in your manuscript.
It may not stand out to you, but it will stand out to your readers. So, you owe it to them to search and destroy needless repetition in your manuscript.
The good news is that it’s easy to find your most repeated words and phrases.
9. DELETE EXTRA WORDS
You really need to get rid of any excess words that don’t move the story forward. If you’re not careful, you can slow down a story by being too descriptive. If the word, sentence, paragraph, or even chapter weighs down the pace of the story, don’t be afraid to cut it.
And when all of your self-editing is done, you can reach us HERE to get more information on having your manuscript professionally edited.
Article re-blogged from nybookeditors.com
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