Editing errors happen to everyone,
simple, even to the big name authors published by the big name publishing
houses. Just yesterday I read a complaint on Facebook made to best-selling
author Faye Kellerman about her latest book, “I will never understand how such
egregious errors make it past the editors!”
So it happens and a book needn’t be
discarded for a FEW typos, etc. But t does become distracting when there are
many typos, errors in facts or consistency, incomplete thoughts, jumbled
sentence order and more. Book publishers and magazine editors will also
appreciate the effort you take to send in a manuscript that is (nearly) ready
to-go. It’s certainly to your benefit to self edit and eliminate as many errors
as possible.
Once you have typed “The End”
(whether literally or figuratively) skim through your manuscript once with a
pen and paper on the side; write down the main events and points in the story
in the order that you read them to ensure continuity, the correct chronological
order, and the message or theme. Next, walk away from your work for a few hours
or even a full day so that when you are ready to attack the editing you are
refreshed.
Read the manuscript again AS A READER, it’s okay to make notes on a
separate piece of paper if anything jumps out at you that should be changed,
but read it through without getting tied up in making changes. This is a good
time to note if, as a reader, you would have liked something more such as
description, action, dialogue, or if something seems out of place.
Now you are finally ready to edit.
Look for spelling errors. It is a good idea to let spell check take a run
through if you have worked on a computer – BUT do not allow spell check to automatically
correct. View each suggestion that spell check makes and decide if that is
really what you want to say – names, dialogue and sometimes even typos can
cause the program to auto-correct to a word that is unrelated. The same
principle is true if you use a computerized grammar checker.
Once this is done, manually
self-edit in blocks, some writers do this from the back to the front, so that
your eye does not automatically see what you intended to say instead of what is
really on the page. Revise scenes as necessary and based on your own reader
notes. Don’t be afraid to chop sections and lose unnecessary words. Verify the
meanings and use of words with a thesaurus. Look for repeated phrases and
eliminate redundancy. Make sure that your action sentences are strong by
eliminating too many “to be”, “had to”, and other words that are unnecessary. Manually
check spelling again.
Before you even think of
submitting, read through the entire manuscript again – out loud. By reading it
out loud you will be able to hear the flow and make sure you haven’t
accidentally omitted words or thoughts. If you have the luxury (time and money)
have a professional editor review your work. By this time you should feel
confident that your work appears polished and will make a professional impression.
Next step – submit, and get to work on your next project.
Writing Exercise:
Choose a well known quote (ie: there is nothing to fear but fear itself)
and rewrite the same thought in as many ways as possible. Try this with a few different
quotes. Make sure each revision delivers the same message.
Writing Prompt: (fill in the blanks) The last time I saw _______ it was a _______ and _______ day.
(Continue writing until you have a five to seven sentence paragraph)
