The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers Quotes

“The manuscript is not the story.” It took me a minute to get that the first time I heard it, so I’ll say it again: The manuscript is not the story. The manuscript is where we put down the words we’re using to tell the story; it is not the story itself.”
― Bridget McKenna, The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers

“So stop telling your readers what a character experiences, what he doesn’t experience, and what emotions he’s feeling. Give them the experience and the emotion in ways that propel them into your story rather than out of it.”
― Bridget McKenna, The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers

“Telling: He saw a ray of sunlight piercing the clouds. Showing: Sunlight pierced the clouds.”
― Bridget McKenna, The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers

“Be consistent in this. If the POV character doesn’t experience something, the reader doesn’t either.”
― Bridget McKenna, The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers

“A rule for all writing at all times: take every opportunity to show something happening and involve the reader’s senses.”
― Bridget McKenna, The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers

“The manuscript is not the story.”
― Bridget McKenna, The Little Book of Self-Editing for Writers