Self-Editing Tips

So, you've typed “The End”, but before you send your manuscript off to a professional editor and proofreader (whether for self-publishing or traditional publishing), it's worthwhile taking the time to self-edit it. Why? Because the cleaner your manuscript, the more your editor and proofreader can help you, by being able to focus on deeper improvements and technical issues, rather than fixing small, avoidable mistakes.

Below, I'm sharing with you some of my tips for self-editing.

Read it slowly.

This may seem obvious, but, when we read quickly, our brains tend to fill in missing words or glide over awkward phrasing. By slowing down, you're likely to catch errors, inconsistencies, and clunky sentences you might otherwise miss.

Read it aloud.

Your eyes might skim over mistakes, but your ears won't! Reading aloud lets you hear awkward phrasing, repetitive words and dialogue that doesn't sound natural or quite right.

Create a checklist.

Creating a checklist ensures you don't overlook anything and you may want to consider including:

• Consistency in character names and details

• Overuse of adverbs and filler words

• Sentence length variation

• Grammar and punctuation

Other self-editing tips include:

Cut the fluff – every word should serve a purpose. If it doesn't move the story along, consider cutting it. For example, consider the following:

Due to the fact that it was extremely late at night, Detective Clark decided that he would slowly and carefully make his way down the dark and eerie alleyway, just in case there happened to be any danger lurking in the shadows.

Now let's look at the edited version.

Late at night, Detective Clark crept down the alley, alert for danger.

Can you see how this revision removes unnecessary phrases (due to the fact that, decided that he would, just in case there happened to be), making the sentence sharper and, I think, more suspenseful?

Take a break – step away from your manuscript for a few days and return to it with fresh eyes.

Self-editing isn't about replacing your pro editor or proofreader – it's about making sure they can focus their attention on more technical issues, meaning the cleaner your book will be.