Welcome 2025! And Self-Editing Resources
Happy New Year!
Advertising Duck suggests that finding an editor can help you achieve your writing goals for the year.
Have a first draft? Hurray! Well done getting this far. You’re going to want to do some self editing. Set it aside for a while to clear your head, then read your book all the way through to see how it feels. Is the narrative arc solid? Are the characters developed? Is the world rich in detail? Does the pacing have a mix of fast action and reflective introspection? Is there a satisfying conclusion? Is the language appropriate to the intended audience?
There are many resources you can use to help you in your self-editing process.
Writers’ groups are great for peer review, and ideas if you’re stuck. Just bear in mind that other authors will come to your novel with their own perspective. Try to find someone who can be objective, offering you suggestions without changing your voice.
Some good books that can help you with your self-editing process include: Writing Fiction, (10th ed.), by Janet Burroway; Developmental Editing, by Scott Norton; 5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing, by C.S. Lakin et al; Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, (2nd ed.), by Renni Browne and Dave King. There are many more out there, but these are some that I’ve read and find helpful.
A lot of writers find read-aloud software helpful. The computer reads your manuscript to you, and you see if it sounds natural. Search apps and programs available for your particular situation.
Once you’ve done your self-editing, you might want to consider getting a manuscript evaluation or a developmental edit done. A professional editor has a different perspective than friends and family, and will see things that you, as the author, might have missed.
If you’re confident that all the large-scale issues are sorted out, then it’s time for a line edit! Line editing will address the flow of the writing - getting the dialogue sounding natural, sentence structure smoothed out, and making sure that it’s clear, concise and consistent.
Copyediting sorts your grammar, spelling and punctuation, although a lot of that gets done in line editing too.
Proofreading is the last line of defense before you press Send on your print file.
Get in touch to discuss your project’s needs!
Photo of duck in snow by Dmitry Ulitin, through Unsplash.
