I am a big self-editor. I don't want a professional editor or even my writer's group to see my writing before it's as good as I can get it. I'm like that in all parts of my life. I clean the house before my house cleaner shows up so she never knows how messy I really am.

I have a long list of self-edits I go through (checking for passive, the use of 'was', repeated words, etc.), but I found a book I like called Self Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King. It covers everything one should look at in their mss in three different ways:

* Each chapter covers a multi-page summary on how to do it
* Each chapter includes a checklist at the end to apply to your own writing
* Each chapter includes exercises to allow you to practice the skill if it's one that is difficult for you

When I first bought Browne and King's book, I read the entire thing. Not much new in it from what I already knew about writing (I have nine published books), but it did include everything I considered important to a well-developed story. Here's a partial list of the skills:

* Show and tell
* Characterization and exposition
* Point of View
* Dialogue mechanics
* Interior monologue
* Voice

Now that I know I can trust it, I go directly to the checklists, to make sure I'm doing each part correctly. For example, here's the Show and Tell Checklist:

* How often do you use narrative summary
* If there's too much narrative, convert some of it to scenes (that works well to speed up a plot and turn dull into dynamic. I love this item)
* Make sure there's enough narrative so you don't bounce from scene to scene
* Does narrative describe feelings? No good.

Overall, for the meticulous writer, this is a good book. My creative friends who want to write of the top of their heads and refuse to be constrained by protocols and rules--I'd skip this one.