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)
