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self editing techniques
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I'll offer what's worked for me ... with the caveat that I believe hiring a good editor is as much a necessity for releasing a book as professional cover art and good formatting. Anyway, the keys to self-editing are repetition and research. Any manuscript should be gone over a minimum of three times to search for/correct plot holes, typos, and inconsistencies. Furthermore, if an issue regarding spelling or grammar comes up, try to take the time to find out if what's on the page is correct or not. Eventually, you'll get good at it and become familiar with some of the more obscure rules. That's actually how I ended up a proofreader and editor in addition to being a writer. So, no fancy advice here--just putting one's nose to the grindstone.
Jason, an editor is always affordable and there's always one out there that can work within your budget. Any book writing endeavors always involve an investment of income, always. Unless of course a traditional publisher has gotten ahold of you, even so!A good editor is indispensable and you should save up to hire one. I have tried many, many, many times to self edit my books. Though I may be able to get it technically correct after attempt number 10, there are issues that you as the writer will never pick up on.
The writer will always know what he or she intended, but will never know how the reader will interpret it. A good editor will say that something has come through unclear and will point out the errors.
Truly, the best way to edit is to do them in separate passes. One pass is strictly for plot development and characterization, the next pass is for sentence style and vocabulary, and the third pass is for typos and grammatical errors.
Even after doing all 3 passes, I still find mistakes after every single one. I can't stress enough that an editor is a necessary part of the process and it's generally a bad idea to publish your book without having a good editor to go through it.
Exactly. There are certain parts of the process a writer can handle himself, but there are others where he has no choice but to rely on the unique skills and objective perspectives others have to offer. I have heard of/seen writers foregoing cover artists and editors far, far too often. It's the biggest reason why indie writers are still nursing a black eye in the industry.
A lot of interesting stuff and useful advice here thanks guys.I realise the importance of finding an editor, and that there are many editors who will work to your budget. However at the moment my budget is zero, and like so many other writers on Goodreads I have a regular job and family. So at the moment money is going on bills.
I am considering calling out for a proof reader, but I am apprehensive because of the amount of ‘why should I do it for free?' answers I will get.
E. wrote: "Swapping with another author can help."Thanks 'E' I'll take that into consideration.
I have found a good set of beta readers are the best content editors. I have ten of them; only one have I met in person. Beta readers are the best possible example of your target audience and their opinions are not hampered by “writing rules” and/or an editor’s erudition, structural guidelines or pet peeves. I find them invaluable because I can ask them specific questions related to a particular part of the story and their answers allow me to judge if I have indeed conveyed what I intended.
On the technical side before I send a book to my Beta readers there are a few methods I use you might find helpful once a 1st draft manuscript is complete. With a newly “saved as” file with the auto correct turned off, I change the page background color, (sometimes also the font color). I find this practice helps the eye catch what the mind thinks it sees on the page. It also seems to help find words the Spell Check & Auto Correct “fixed” incorrectly. If I find an awkward sentence I change the font color or use the highlight tool so I can come back to it. I find these “tricks” help me catch more than 90% of the sentence, punctuation and spelling errors. The rest I usually find during the first rewrite after I get my Beta reader input.
Yes, Beta Readers are a great option, if not the best option if you can't hire an editor. It's always a good idea to have fresh eyes look over your work since your eyes are going to rake over more than a few mistakes. They're also useful for things like plot fluidity, character development/believability, world building, etc.. There's a group in Goodreads called Beta Reader Group that you can use to acquire assistance. Has over 3,000 members currently.
Honest beta readers are good. Wimpy ones are worse than no beta readers. If they won't tell you what's wrong, they can't tell you what is right either. The easiest thing to do before sending a manuscript out for editing is to read it out loud. You will be amazed how much you can cut when you take phonetics into account. The word "that" is not your friend. Then, after you get it back from the editor, make your changes, then read it again, then read it again out loud. Hearing a voice outside your head makes you a tiny bit accountable to someone besides yourself. It's hard to always remember the reader when books are born in solitude.
Useful tips, Lauren. You are so right about 'that'. When I wrote my first novel I went through and crossed out every 'that' I could find. It's amazing how the text flows so much better without it.
So is there anything we can do to improve on out self editing techniques. I have one or two books on the subject of self editing.
One technique I do use is putting on headphones and getting my Kindle Fire to read aloud my work. I find this useful because it will read aloud what I have written, not what I think I have written. By using this method I can catch at least 80% of mistakes. It’s not perfect but it’s one of the best self editing methods I have found so far.
Would anyone alse like to share tips on self editing techniques