By: Stephanie Burkhart
Self-Editing Tips
I've heart it said writing is 10% writing and 90% editing. I
can honestly say that's the case. Self-editing is truly a talent that has to be
developed over time. There are some great books with self-editing pointers
including characters, plot, and dialogue, but today I'm going to keep it easy –
there's always a stronger word.
Example: Annie
got the book she wanted.
There's a better verb for the sentence above and a great "place"
to find what you're looking for is a thesaurus. You can discover a ton of
alternative words to "punch up" your sentence. My thesaurus is never
far from my laptop.
New Example: Annie received the book she wanted.
Fresher Example: Annie received the novel she wanted.
Freshest Example: The book Annie wanted fell into her lap.
Reinvigorated Example: Annie's tattered and threadbare novel
offered her happiness.
Self-editing takes time so be sure to dedicate the time for
it. Things to look for: verb use (weak versus strong) and "punchier"
descriptors. I just finished reading Janet Evanovich's "One for the Money,"
and I loved it. She's mastered the use of better/strong words to create an
entertaining novel with a great economy of words. She paints graphic visuals
with just a stroke.
Here's another self-editing tip: Be a reader, too. The more
you read, the more you can give to your own writing.
Question: Do you have any self-editing tips that work for
you that you'd like to share?
Have a blessed and happy new year!
Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.
She's also a cub scout den leader and a frazzled taxi mom. Her books with 4RV
Publishing include: The Giving Meadow and First Flag of New Hampshire.
FIND
ME ON THE WEB AT:
WEBSITE:
TWITTER:
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor
GOOD
READS:
YOU
TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee
PINTEREST:
http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/
Dear Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your ideas for revising our manuscripts.
Thanks Joan. My therasaures accompanies me everywhere I go.
ReplyDeleteSmiles
Steph
That is a great habit!
ReplyDeleteStephanie, great post. I too keep my thesauruses handy when writing. One self-editing tip I find helps is to change the font and reread it and/or to print the ms. I hate to waste paper, but for some reason with a printed version errors that weren't seen before become visible.
ReplyDeleteOh, use that printed ms paper for scrap or give to your kids or grandkids to write/draw on back, when you're done with it.