How Printing Your Book Draft Improves Your Editing
Writing has changed significantly in the last few decades. Where once people pulled out pen and paper, or even a typewriter, we now click away on keyboards as digital letters appear on our screens. Authors jot entire chapters into their phones or tablets, allowing autocorrect to fix whatever mishap we create. Even editing has become simpler with online tools like Grammarly correcting spelling, grammar, and verb usage.
But there is something vital about taking your draft from digital to print.
Idea to Novel: Developing a Cohesive Narrative
I probably couldn’t name the numerous ideas and story lines that cross my mind in a given period of time. While most stay in my daydreams, some of them make it to paper. That’s actually where my two novels started, a single chapter I cobbled together at age 13. No real plot or character depth, just a scene. A moment that inspired a novel.
Editing: The Many Methods for Finessing a Story
I feel like I’ve talked extensively on editing, and the number of links in this post will probably prove as much. However, as I FINALLY wrap up my book, I’m realizing just how many ways you can edit a story. It’s more than grammar and spelling. There’s content to consider, word counts for publishing, tone, pacing…
Yeah, I’m getting a headache trying to sort these out too. Editing is the one aspect of writing I despise. Which is why I spend so much time talking about it, to convince myself to sit down and just do it. There are a few methods I’ve come across that I don’t totally hate, so I’d like to pass these on to all the writers like me who’d rather write for an eternity and never edit a sentence. But first, we got some ground to cover in regards to the main components of editing.
Weasel Words: The Overused and Undesired Vocabulary
My editor forbids cliches. Why? Because they’re an easy way out of creative writing. The same goes for weasel words. A writer has access to a massive vocabulary, so there’s no reason to say “grass” 400 times in a short story.
I mentioned this topic briefly in my top 10 edits for writers, but the idea came across my mind recently while editing my book. After finishing the novel, I searched for words I knew were problematic or frequent. I have a fairly good self-awareness of which words I overuse, but occasionally they slip through. Got a headache trying to fix my mistakes and it made me realize how weasel words can’t simply be removed; sometimes they need a replacement. So if you’re working on a short story or editing a 100k+ word book, here’s ways to find your weasels and methods for editing them out.
Novel Content: What to Reduce for a Good Book
When I jumped onto social media to build my platform, I came across a lot of self-published writers that I wanted to help. I joined their advance teams and got their books to read and review before they were released to the public. But as I consumed each novel, I found a lot of elements I liked and a lot that I despised. I couldn’t figure out why until recently.
Troublesome Homonyms: Which to Use and When to Use Them
Every now and then while I’m writing, I come across a word that has two different spellings. The difference is usually one letter, but no matter how many times I use it, I always forget which meaning is the one I want. And writing programs like Word don’t pick it up because it’s spelled correctly. I end up dragging myself out of the writing zone because I can’t get past not knowing if it’s the right word or not. There called homonyms, but I skip labeling and just growl at my inability to discern what’s what.
An Author’s Special Touch: Top 10 Edits for Writers
Essays and reports are a common occurrence in all professions and being prepared with a list of do’s and don’t’s can make the difference in a class or job. While these work for everyone, this list of 10 edits are special for writers. As the designation suggests, a writer’s entire job rests on books, articles, anthologies. Even blogs! It’s important to ace the grammar and incorporate the previous tips. To go more in-depth with content, here’s ten things writers need to look at. Again, the order doesn’t matter; they’re all important.
Cutting Words: 10 Best Ways to Cut Word Count
Novels, articles, essays. Different writing formats, but they all share one thing. Word counts. Too many words and an article can be rejected. Too few and an essay won’t make the grade. In my experience, it’s easier to write more than less, especially when the story picks up or the thesis evolves into a stronger paper. For you, writing more might be the issue.
No matter which is your dilemma, there are words that must be cut from every paper. If you’re like me, this list will help bring down the word count. If more words is the need, cut these words and replace them with stronger phrases. Letting go of one idea makes room for more.
The Dreaded Edit: Top 10 Editing Tips for All Genres
As the only writer in my house, I’m the first to be summoned for editing help. Writers aren’t the only ones who need to edit a paper. Students have school papers and research pieces riddled with informalities. Signage is poorly punctuated. Speeches and reports are complicated and wordy. There’s a reason it’s the “dreaded edit”; it’s everywhere and everyone needs a little editing help.
Active Verbs from A-Z
Two weeks ago, I talked about the Top Edits for Writers. Item number 6 was weasel words, or words that are overused or weak in writing. There are weasel words in all categories but the most dangerous are the verbs. A non-descriptive or overused verb can become wasted space in writing. But how do you find a good verb?
That’s why Jerry Jenkins made a list of 249 strong verbs. And that’s why I’m sharing them with you guys. Most of these are descriptive, so make sure what it describes fits with your sentence (nibble versus devour).