Six Self-editing Tips to Tighten Your Copy

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Six Self-editing Tips to Tighten Your Copy

During the self-editing process, it’s a good idea is to have a thesaurus handy to replace any repetitive words with a synonym. You also might want to grab a copy of the Elements of Style, by by Strunk & White if you need help with grammar and punctuation or to polish your prose.

Here are six self-editing tips to tighten up your piece:

1. Always edit with fresh eyes. Once you finish your first draft, it’s a good idea to put it away for a few days before you start the self-editing process. Take some time to relax and recharge your battery. You will come back to your project rejuvenated and ready to tackle the self-editing process with fresh eyes and renewed motivation.

2. Read it aloud. Chances are you will hear things your eyes did not see. Take note of where you stumble while reading your first draft. These are the areas you may want to consider rewriting. Any sentence you have to go back and read twice is a good indication of an area that needs to be reworded. If you stumble, chances are your readers will, too. Be mindful for longer sentences that may be exhausting to readers. Consider breaking longer sentences into shorter ones for reading ease.

3. Eliminate. Make your writing more concise and easier to read by eliminating unnecessary words and unneeded prepositions. See which words you can omit without losing the clarity of the sentence. For example, you can make your writing more concise and easier to read just by eliminating the word “that” in most sentences.

Here’s an example:

I’ve decided that I am going to write a book.

Versus

I’ve decided I am going to write a book.

Which sentence reads better for you? Other extraneous words to watch for are: just, very, really and some.

If writing fiction, watch for weak passive language such as: the “ly” words, “to be” verbs, especially when used with “ing” words. Use strong, active verbs to “show” rather than “tell.”

We’ve all heard of show don’t tell, but what does that mean?

Here is an example of telling:

It was easy to see Salina’s comments were making John angry.

Here is an example of how you would “show” John’s anger instead:

As each bitter comment rolled off Salina’s tongue, John’s jaw clenched—his face a flushed crimson shade of red.

Can you see why the showing sentence is more appealing to the reader than the telling sentence? Instead of telling the reader John is angry, show the reader what John’s anger looks like.

Tip: To learn more about this concept, I highly recommend Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View, by Jill Elizabeth Nelson.

4. Perform a line-edit. Carefully edit each line separately individually, then each paragraph, as well as each section. One trick is to edit each out of order and then go back and look at the piece as a whole.

5. Watch for Redundancy. Use a thesaurus to replace repetitive words with synonyms. A thesaurus can be a writer’s best friend and are often built into most writing programs. If you are using Microsoft Word, click the Review tab from the Toolbar.

6. Do a spelling and grammar check. Use your discretion when using the grammar check tool in Word. Be mindful of suggested grammar corrections so that you don’t lose your unique writing voice. For example, sentence fragments are sometimes used to gain an effect. Your grammar checker will likely advise against all sentence fragments, but sometimes they are necessary and should be used at the author’s discretion.

Tip: If you don’t mind paying for a good online grammar checker, try Grammarly.com.