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Quick Tips For Editing Your Book

Quick Tips For

Editing Your Book

by A.E. Albert

"No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published."

- J. Russell Lynes

So you've written the first draft of your book. Take a break, you've earned it. Wait a few weeks and then tackle the arduous job of editing. You're going to need it!

Proofreading:

Capitals- beginning of sentence.
Periods- end of a sentence.
Comma and question marks where applicable.
Avoid the word 'that' and take it out of dialogue, unless truly necessary. People don't use 'that' often.
Watch the spellchecker: eg. definitely may be changed to definitely or may not correct it all.
Watch for irregularities in font.
Use 12 size font and New Times Roman.
Look for missing prepositions, but also watch for over using them.
Avoid verbs ending in -ly.
Two digit numbers should be written as words.
If you think a sentence is too long, be safe and make it two sentences.
Watch for word confusion: to/too, their/they're.

Read: Editing Your Own Book- The Top Ten Book Self Editing Tips

Story editing:

Read your book:

Read it aloud.
Read it Backwards.
Read it on printed paper.

Get other people to read it for you.
Look for lapses in logic.
Take out anything not related to the core of your book.
Look for areas that need more: humor, action, character development, etc.
Consider alternate routes your plot can take and see if they work.
Keep track of plot and smaller details. The reader will remember if you deviate.
Make sure there is some type of conflict/resolution throughout your story.
Dialogue should be natural and not necessarily grammatically correct. Their speech should reflect their character.
Avoid cliches.

Read: How to Write a Novel Step by Step

Complete this entire process a minimum of four times. It would be good idea to hire an editor, especially, to proofread the end result.

What are your tips on editing? Let me know.

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