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"Books aren't written, they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't quite done it... " --Michael Crichton 1942 - 2008 |
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Seven rewrites?
Crichton, best known for books like The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, The Rising Sun to name a few, and also known as the creator of the Emmy-winning TV series, E.R., knew all about the editing process.
Self-editing is more than proof reading or checking your work for correctness in spelling, grammar and punctuation…it’s shaping, molding, expanding, and cultivating your words. You’re not just checking for consistency, but believability and cohesiveness. You’re looking for plot holes, and discrepancies in your characters while smoothing out your delivery of style, clarity of message, and sharpness of description.
In the beginning, self-editing may feel like a chore, but when approached with a different mindset and a blueprint in hand, the process morphs into an extension of your creativeness. Watching your story hatch, emerge grow, and develop into a full-blown piece gives you a level of satisfaction and accomplishment beyond description.
What if you don’t have a blueprint? Or a best friend who just so happens to be an editor? Here are some tips offered by bona fide writers, and editors.
Spell Check - Always a solid move; however, do not strictly rely on its suggestions. I know I’m raining on someone’s parade when I say, “Spell checkers are not Gods, nor are they the leading authority on all that is grammatical.” A writer’s style may outweigh advice given by spell check. Nonetheless, if you edit as you go, (a formula sure to produce a breeding ground for typos and improper sentence structures), those little red and green squiggly lines are a godsend.
Breather – Suspend editing until after you’ve had an opportunity to walk away from your piece for a bit. Even a few minutes beats no break at all. A thirty-minute intermission does wonders when it comes to recharging your batteries. A general rule of thumb here is, the longer the piece, the longer your hiatus.
Print – Make sure to double space and leave wide margins –giving yourself plenty of room for note taking. Then get ready to…
Read Out Loud - I can't expresses the importantance of this step. Reading your words out loud accomplishes two things: First, it gives you a feel for what your readers are getting from your work. Second, it forces you to read every single word. You’re more likely to catch simple errors and typos, for instance; typing the word “know” instead of “known” becomes more obvious when you've enlisted your ears to the editing campaign.
Recruit Others – Ask a trusted friend – even a non-writer. Getting a perspective from a reader helps heaps when trying to nail things like delivery or clarity of message. Especially when you, the writer are so caught up in the story.
Sources - If you’re preparing your work for submission, it’s always a great idea to include a list of sources equipped with contact information. Editors are notorious for working up to deadline. If your editor can’t reach you for questions, he can at least contact others for verification.
Like Chriton, you’ll want to run through this method a few times making sure to concentrate on a particular aspect of editing during each round. Yes, self-editing takes time, but, it doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be exhilarating and creative and give you a strong sense of accomplishment. Pick up your pen, and a printed copy of your story, grab your blueprint and get busy self-editing. You'll produce five-star pieces and your readers will surely come back for more.
I’ve posted this item a number of times but it offers tons of quick fixes when self-editing
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Lots of writers have punctuation issues when it comes to dialogue tags. Here are a few quick rules:
 When the tag comes first, you must follow it with a comma. Ex. Judy looks at Laney and says, “Okay. Let’s take my car.”
When the tag follows the quotation, two things happen:
 The tag begins without capitalization. Ex. “No,” she says, fingers still typing at the keyboard.
The quotation ends with a comma. In other words, the comma replaces the period at the end of the quote. “No,” she says, fingers still typing at the keyboard.
If the tag breaks up the quotation, then the quotation will carry on without capitalization. Ex. “Are you,” she pauses to glance down at his mismatched socks, “okay?”
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Action/Adventure: November 12, 2008 Issue [#2703]
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