Editing can be hard, getting rid of those scenes that you love can be hard. And sometimes, you just don't know where to go to learn more about editing. I get that. That is why I am going to share some tips that you can do before you go and hire an editor like myself!
Why Self Edit?
Simple, the tools you use to self edit helps your progression as a writer. The more you learn to self edit, the easier your overall revision process will be. Personally, I was the type to write maybe a dozen drafts of a single manuscript. Now, I write typically three or less!
Tricks To Self Edit!
Create a style sheet!
Stop editing as you go!
Take breaks!
Keep a "junk" folder.
Read it out loud.
Give yourself positive feedback.
Edit your manuscript in a different format.
I know that was a lot, but let me delve deeper into each one and hopefully, you'll better understand.
A style sheet (or style guide) is something that most editors use. It helps keep things consistent throughout any given manuscript or with a particular author that they work with frequently. Style sheets help you to put all your important info in one place.
Don't think you have to know everything about them before you begin. As an author, I would strictly use it for those various spelling and grammar things that are correct, but can differ. For example:
til vs. 'til
toward vs. towards
Oxford comma or no?
Do you use spaces with your em dashes or not?
Do you capitalize Magic or write it as magic?
Have a character with a unique name? Make sure you stick to a consistent spelling!
What fonts do you use for which narrative style?
These things actually come up a lot and having that style guide, even deciding on those things before you write, can be a useful tool. It definitely saves you time in the long run!
Stop editing as you go! Seriously, have you ever deleted something and then realized it could actually work or that you maybe liked that old scene more than your current one? Editing as you go leads to not only deleting important aspects of your work, but also self-doubt. It can cause you to stop writing or feel less motivated to get back into a manuscript that you took a break from.
Take breaks! You may love your manuscript, you may even have a deadline, but if you want to continue loving that WIP as well as prevent burnout then you'd better rest. Give yourself time as you write. I also suggest waiting at least a month from when you finish your draft to when you begin your edits. It helps you come to your manuscript with fresh eyes. I'm not sure about you, but sometimes I get tired of reading the same thing over and over again. Likewise, if you choose to do multiple passes, give yourself a break between each. Spend sometime on that Shiny New Idea you got, or binge watch your latest streaming obsession.
Instead of deleting your words completely, keep a junk folder. A junk folder is what I call it but perhaps you've heard it mentioned differently. The words you write are precious and sometimes they are just really, really good which is why we have a hard time deleting them. Something that I tell my clients is to keep a junk folder. This can be a separate document, or an entire folder, where you copy and paste those scenes, that awesome description of a tree, or whatever you like. Then you can delete it from your current draft. This way, if you decide to add it back in you can. This "deleted scene" can also be used as inspiration for another book or creative work. And if you happen to have a newsletter, after the release of your book, you can use it to get more subscribers!
Be sure to check back for more editing tips! You'll get more on the three items I did not go into in my next post. And you can find and follow me here, if you don't already!
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