Editing is about getting it right.
This is advice for myself, and for anyone else who’s interested.
READ WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN
SEVERAL TIMES
OUT LOUD
And follow this self-editing check-list
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Run a spell check, then check the spelling yourself. The computer seems fond of playing the occasional joke.
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Check the grammar. Sloppy grammar is fine when talking to someone (well, usually, anyway. There are exceptions!)
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Does every passage add something? Does it take the action forward, or add something new to the subject? Or is it simply repeating what the reader already knows?
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Are there mistakes in continuity? A friend of mine has written 74 books, and her editor still finds small mistakes such as the colour of someone’s eyes – brown on page 6, green on page 49. Double check everything.
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Are there inconsistencies in characterisation? Or in motivation? Ask yourself – would this person really say this? Really do this?
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Does a scene need expanding or, on the other hand, tightening?
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Are you using narrative viewpoint effectively? In other words, can you take the reader inside somebody’s head and then keep them there?
Frog: (frowning)
I’m not quite ready to take the plunge. Are you?