How to Edit Your Work

The ability to edit your own work is incredibly important. For obvious reasons, editors prefer authors who can turn in clean copy. Beyond lightening an editor's workload, there are other reasons that you need to be good at editing--it's your name on the book!

Over the years I've picked up great ideas for editing. Here's the best summary of what you should be doing--

Edit your work in passes.

 In other words, don't go over it once and consider it done. Read it several times, for several different reasons. Read it first for pacing and continuity. Read it again for logic. Finally read it to proofread for grammar, spelling, etc.

Let's break that down:

1. Read it for pacing and continuity. Does it drag? Does every scene contribute and move the plot along? If you delete a scene does it matter? (If the answer is, "No," then the scene is going to drag the plot down.) Can you up the tension in the scene? Can you use a chapter break to create a mini-cliffhanger? Are the characters consistent in their behavior?

2. Read it for logic. Are the sequences of the sentences appropriate? Do they build on each other? Do they happen in a logical order? Are there any questions left unanswered? Does your premise and the premise of your characters make sense? Do you maintain an internal logic? And finally, if someone walks into a room, where do they go? What happens to them? Did you maintain a logic to their arrival and departure?

3. Read it for grammatical errors, spelling errors, and consistency of style.

It takes forever to edit a book this way. Unfortunately, a poorly edited book is a book that won't be enjoyed by your reader, so make the time!

What to Do When You Get Stuck While Writing Your Book

By Joanna Campbell Slan


When folks complain of "writer's block," they're often complaining that they've gotten stuck. Or that they just don't know what to write next.

That can happen to any of us.

Maybe you know how your book will begin. You might also know how it ends. But what will you do to fill three hundred pages in the middle? Ah, that's the rub. Suddenly, you are stuck.

When I get stuck, here are some ways I get "un-stuck" --

Change It Up--

1. Change of scenery -- I revisit my protagonist's world and move her/him to another spot. I find this useful for signaling a plot point or a change of heart.
2. Change of mind -- Most of us don't move smoothly from Point A to Point B. We zig and zag. We have conflicting emotions. Sometimes we encounter new information. Or we mull over a problem and reconsider what we know. Someone will tell us something we didn't know. A change of mind gives your protagonist a new course to explore.
3. Change of cast -- You have to be careful not to introduce people willy-nilly, but once in a while, you need someone new to enter the fray. This newbie can tell your protagonist something he or she doesn't know.

Doing What Comes Naturally--

I've found that blocks come when I try to force my characters to twist into unnatural positions. If the action springs naturally, if the sequence is logical, it's easier to write about it.

Brainstorm Twenty Ways to Proceed--

My friend and mentor Emilie Richards told me that a friend of hers suggested brainstorming a list of twenty things that could happen. Your first five will be predictable. The next five a little less so. The next five might be outlandish. But the final five will really tax your brain. Stretching is good exercise. One of your twenty ways to proceed will probably work. Maybe even two or three of them will. Choose the option that's right for your book.

Check on a Secondary Character--

Remember the phrase, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch"? That's a nifty segue, a change to revisit a secondary character, and peek in on what he/she's doing.

Whatever You Do--

Don't give up. It's far too easy to toss your work-in-progress into the trash and start over. The process of working through your stumbling blocks is valuable. Quitting isn't!

How do you handle getting stuck?

Improve Your Sequencing To Improve Your Writing

This morning I heard a radio commercial about a pair of work gloves. The announcer explained that these were "more abrasion and tear resistant than leather."

I was left wondering, "Does he mean the surface of the gloves is abrasive?"

I doubt that. I suspect he meant that the surface of the gloves was "more resistant to tears and abrasion than leather." (And if he had added one word--"tougher"--the whole description would have made more sense: "tougher, more resistant to tears and abrasion than leather.")

Sequencing.  A tricky concept. One that I'm working to become more aware of. It's incredibly difficult because we aren't dealing with a right or a wrong. We're working in shades of gray here. But even a slight change of shading can make our meaning more clear. And that translates into a more enjoyable read for our audience.

Here are a few rules:

1. Put the longest portion or phrase last.

Instead of this:

"He bought the fancy can opener and the toaster."

Try this:

"He bought the toaster and the fancy can opener."

2. Share the summary first, the particulars last.

Instead of this:

"Gracie, my harlequin Great Dane, pushed past me so she could sniff at Detweiler. In a contest between me and the cop, I’d come in a distant second. My pup loves me, but I have no illusions." 

Try this:

"Gracie, my harlequin Great Dane, pushed past me so she could sniff at Detweiler. My pup loves me, but I have no illusions. In a contest between me and the cop, I'd come in a distant second." 
3. Double-check all actions for logical sequence. You may find duplication or confusing language.

Instead of this:

            “I’d be delighted to join you,” Laurel said, as she pulled up a chair to sit next to Mary Martha.

            “There’s an extra chair right here,” said Dolores, uncovering a seat that had previously been hidden by piles of scrapbook supplies.

Try this:

            “I’d be delighted to join you,” Laurel said, as she glanced around for a place to sit.

            “There’s an extra chair right here,” said Dolores, uncovering a seat that had previously been hidden by piles of scrapbook supplies.

4. Ground your reader in the place and time first.  Start with "where" and "when."

5. Keep adjectives or modifying phrases next to the words they modify.

Instead of this:

"A commercial that I heard on the radio this morning talked about a pair of gloves."

Try this:

"This morning I heard a radio commercial about a pair of gloves."


As I come up with more examples, I'll share them with you.