The Art of Self-Editing, Part 2

By Henry McLaughlin

In my last post, we began exploring the process of self-editing, of getting our writing in the best shape we can before sending it out to a professional editor. Notice, I didn’t say before submitting it to an agent, a publishing house, or self-publishing it.

 

There’s an old saying from the judicial system: He who represents himself has a fool for a client. In the same way he who edits himself alone, while he may not be a fool, is not preparing his work to be the best it could be.

Have the Computer Read the Manuscript 

Most computers now come with the ability to speak written text. There are also apps available. Having my computer read the manuscript to me may sound weird, but it really is helpful. It’s one of the most effective tools in my self-editing toolbox.

• Glitches and errors are easier to spot as we follow along on our printed manuscript.
• The computer is going to speak exactly what we wrote. It won’t fill in missing words, and it won’t ignore typos we might miss with our own eyes.
•  It won’t say what we meant to write.
• The tone helps each word stand out. I’ve caught many an error I otherwise missed in my own readings because it sounds like an out of tune piano.

Revise 

Yep. Now is the time to rewrite. This is the beginning of our second draft. We’ve accumulated a lot of data through the previous steps. Now we apply the corrections and tweaks. This is when we rewrite; add the scenes and chapters we need to improve the story. It’s also when we cut the scenes, chapters, and characters that don’t add anything to the story. 

This is the time when we identify our favorite words. Scrivener can show us our most frequently used words. Other self-editing programs can do the same. For example, in one of my manuscripts, I discovered I liked the word twinge. A lot. I was able to eliminate many of the times it appeared and replace it with stronger words. Another step to take in this phase is to identify passive and to be verbs, adverbs, and words that don’t add anything to the story.

One of my pet peeves is the word that. We all use it. Many times we don’t need it. I search the manuscript for that. When I find one, I take it out of the sentence. If the sentence still makes sense, I don’t need it.

Sometimes, word usage actually slows our story by getting into telling, and it distances our point-of-view. For example, when editing I frequently find authors writing, “he watched her cross the room.” My comment is, “Don’t TELL us he watched, SHOW us what he saw. We’ll know he had to see it.” I also call this “trust the reader to get it,” or RUE: resist the urge to explain.

Look for words such as watch, look, felt, hear and many other telling words. See if they’re hindering the flow of the writing because we’re asking the reader to read unnecessary words.

In my next post, we’ll explore the use of beta readers and when it’s time to seek an outside editor.

Please share your experiences with self-editing. What’s worked for you? What hasn’t?

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles @BlogPiks.com.)

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Henry McLaughlin shares ways to get our manuscript in the best possible condition before sending it to a professional editor. via @riverbendsagas (Click to tweet.)

Tagged as “one to watch” by Publishers Weekly, award-winning author Henry McLaughlin takes his readers on adventures into the hearts and souls of his characters as they battle inner conflicts while seeking to bring restoration and justice in a dark world. His writing explores these themes of restoration, reconciliation and redemption.

Besides his writing, Henry treasures working with other writers and helping them on their own writing journeys. He is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. He regularly teaches at conferences and workshops, leads writing groups, edits, and mentors and coaches.

Visit him at http://www.henrymclaughlin.org.

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