Editing Technique!

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I wasn't sure what I was going to be posting today... and then it hit me... I'm re-establishing chapter breaks within my novel, Lumen, because they were starting to stretch to 17 pages per chapter and that was NOT the plan... whilst doing that I have also planned to print the whole manuscript off and get my red pen out! YES, I am one of those--a red pen lover!




Editing




I think that self-editing is quite tough, especially when you've grown so attached to the book you're writing. I kind of love editing now, although sometimes it's like, "but it's my baby" and then other times you just want to tear it all apart.



There are a lot of different self-editing techniques, but my favourite is the RED PEN! I feel that printing off your writing and having a red pen in your hand gives you a lot of power... or even just printing it off. I love editing, there's just a great feeling inside about making something better, especially when you know how to make it better...



RULE: There is always room for improvement. Nothing is perfect.



I have a list of words that I set down beside me while I paper-edit. I don't delete all of them, I just make sure that they're being used properly and not being overused.




Could

Feel / Feeling / Felt

Had / Have

Hear / Heard

It / There

Just / Then

Knew / Know

Look

See / Saw

Smell / Taste

That

Was / Were

Watch / Notice / Observe


I'm hoping that if you had a list, it would be similar to this list. One word which I always try and cut when editing is "that"... if you go through this post there will be so many of them... and I'm sorry for that. LOL



I also have another list with 4 points to watch out for in my writing.




Generic Descriptions

Initial Conjunction

Initial "-ing"

"-ly" Adverbs



I'll be making more posts in the future, expanding on some of the above points and words in the list.




How do you edit?

Do you have a collection of red pens on your desk?



-Joseph




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