Tips on editing
- Amber Grosjean (author)
- Feb 28
- 3 min read
In 2007, I published my first book. I was so excited to finally be published that I opted out of the publisher's offered editing. I was confident that my story was perfect. When I got my copies and started reading the book, I began spotting all the errors and felt incompetent. I was a good writer, but it wasn't showing that. My editing alone wasn't enough. But I also didn't know how to edit back in those days either. In time, I did learn how to self-edit before having someone else look it over. I continue to learn, even after 19 years of being a published author.
It is important to have someone else, if not more, to read the story. Even highly experienced authors like Stephen King miss something here and there. And their editors can miss something too, so it can happen.
I'd like to share a list of things that you can watch for. This step is self-editing. It can't be skipped, no matter how confident you are with your story. Do this before sending it off to someone else, which I recommend. I learned the hard way. Don't be like me.
Plot holes
The flow
Consistency
Tension
Coherency
Structure/Pacing
Transition
Tone
Did you use active/passive voice?
Show vs Tell: sometimes one is better than the other, but you don't want to use either too much. Balance is key.
Clichés? You really want them gone.
Level of understanding (stay within your age group—your audience)
If you used metaphors, do they make sense?
Spelling/Grammar
Tighten sentences
I used to work on a lot of these things at the same time. I didn't realize it at the time, but it wasn't working like I thought it was. I decided to tackle these things one at a time, creating new rounds. I was able to catch more mistakes this way. And as a result, it tightened the story much better. If you use this new method that I'm doing now, check spelling and grammar last because things will be removed and other things will be added. So do it last to save time. Keep a watchful eye on words that are similar like: "as", "an", or "or", "of". Not to mention other words with different meanings like: "two", "to", and "too".
Read aloud; it helps find some of those errors, or have the system read it back to you. Some authors print out their stories and work on the editing that way. It doesn't matter if you print it out or not; just don't skip the process. If a sentence doesn't make sense, chances are you're missing something or used the wrong word. Double-check, then triple-check.
There is no magic number for how many rounds it will take. When you feel it's as perfect as you can make it and you have no more story, you're done. Now it's ready for an editor. You can hire someone, or you can make some sort of deal; it doesn't hurt to ask. You can use beta readers (some say 3 or more is best). But have someone, besides yourself, look the story over. Make sure they have a good understanding of the language you used, and they like the genre you wrote. If you wrote a romance, and the reader hates romance, it won't matter how good the writing is; they may not care for it and will say there are mistakes when there aren't. Be realistic about how long to give them. One week is probably not enough time for them to read and edit the work. And remember, it isn't personal when they suggest those edits.
Do you have any questions about editing?
Comments