Be a Better Self-Editor
Writing a book requires self-editing; there’s no way around it. Self-editing is a form of revision, and whether you know it or not, if you’ve been writing a book, you’ve been self-editing.
I’m in the throes of revising Book 3 in The Jovian Universe, so my head is well into the game, and I thought I’d share some of my self-editing techniques.
The difficult aspect of self-editing is the fact that you, the same person who wrote the material, are now trying to look at it from a different person’s perspective (the reader’s). It’s impossible to see the copy from a fresh angle when it clearly is not new to you.
The other problem is that our brain wants the material to read well, so it tricks us into thinking the material reads well. It adds that word that’s missing from a sentence, and it makes us forget that we haven’t told the reader where the scene is taking place or who’s in the room.
So we have to create some space between ourselves and the material. The best way to do this, I believe, is to put the manuscript aside for a couple of weeks—or at least a couple of days (we don’t always have the luxury of time).
If you’ve just come to the end of the first draft of a novel, or even a scene you’re working on, going back in right away is not going to help that much. You’re too enthralled with your own writing—or maybe you’re not, but you still can’t see it clearly. The time you leave it alone will help you get the distance you need.
CHECKLIST FOR SELF-EDITING
Self-editing is about seeing what’s really there and recognizing what is not but should be. Here is a short checklist to help you do it well.
Have you set the scene? Will the reader know where he is early on in each scene? (For more on this topic, click here.)
Have you made the POV evident right away? Who else is in the scene?
Have you fleshed out your scenes by getting deep into your POV character’s mind. (For more on this topic, click here.)
Does your dialogue pass the “real” test? Further, does each character have their own way of speaking? Listen closely to your dialogue by reading it out loud.
Does something happen in each scene that moves the story forward? If not, what role does the scene play? Is it necessary, or can it be cut?
How many good friends/adversaries does your POV character have, and are they all crucial? Sometimes two not-major characters can become one.
Are there any slow places in your story? If everything is going well and obstacles are no problem, you need to create some conflict and tension. Consider, too, other ways you can make the scene more interesting.
Now that you’ve made it to the end of the story, have you gone back to your first chapter to make sure it works well? No doubt some changes will need to be made.
Does your protagonist travel a character arc throughout the story? By the end, are they in a different space mentally from the place they started? The challenge of the story should have changed them. Same goes for the antagonist and all major characters.
Does every one of your sentences make sense? Edit the ones you stumble over. It’s not time to polish yet, but you don’t want to make it too hard on your beta readers.
Kim Catanzarite is the author of the award-winning sci-fi thriller series The Jovian Universe. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft (www.authorkimcatanzarite.com/blog). She lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.
