I strongly suggest self editing, but only after you have revised. Here are some aspects to look for, but this is not a tiny list. The good news is, there are some cheats. Not to mention, your manuscript is going to sparkle a little more when you’ve completed these steps.
Note: The “find” tool (ctrl and f together in most word processors) is your friend. Use it.
Telling words. We’ll start off with a task made much easier by the “find” tool. Do a search for each of these words or phrases, and then rework the sentences so you can remove them. The general idea here is that the reader is rooted in the character’s POV so everything the reader is shown, is obviously coming through the character.
For past tense:
saw, heard, felt, watched, smelled, observed
Present tense:
sees, hears, feels, watches, smells, observes
Compare these two sentences:
She felt a shiver crawl up her spine.
A shiver crawled up her spine.
The words “realize” and “knew” (“realizes” and “knows”) are often guilty too. Double check they are necessary.
Don’t forget these phrases as well:
could feel, could see, could hear, could smell, could observe
The ambiguous “it”. Using the “find” tool, search for the word “it” and see about replacing the word with something less vague. That’s not to save “it” is never appropriate—because often times it is—but many times you can find a better word.
-ly. I’m not an adverb hater. That being said, adverbs are often an indication you are using a weak verb. Remember, characters don’t run slowly, they jog. They don’t touch softly, they caress. And if they’re caressing softly, then you’re just being redundant. Knock it off.
Tip: When using the “find” tool, just search for ly not -ly, and make sure it’s not searching full words only. Second tip: Not all adverbs end in -ly but the worst culprits do. Seeking them out is a great start.
“That”. Some writers are surprised to realize just how often the word “that” can be removed without changing the meaning or clarity of the sentence. You use your nifty “find” tool to search and destroy.
Weak beginnings. Search for these phrases and see how many you can eliminate by simple rewording:
there was, it was, this was, and that was
Explaining before doing. Okay, in reality, “explaining before doing” is a form of telling, but I’m trying to be specific. The problem stems from authors who are not secure in their writing. They develop a habit of telling what is going to happen, then letting it play out.
Example:
George trudged down the hallway toward her. She didn’t want to talk to him.
“Go away, George.” She turned on her heels. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
Now let’s try it again, without telling the reader what is happening.
George trudged down the hallway toward her.
“Go away, George.” She turned on her heels. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
The good news is, following this tip will tighten up your manuscript in a way most readers will notice, even if some aren’t sure why (it’s a subtle thing). The bad news is, there’s no shortcut with the “find” tool. Going to need coffee for this one.
Or tea. Tea is good too.
Derailing. I try not to allow more than two or three sentences of back story to happen in any one spot. Anything more than that tends to derail the current scene. Often times, much of the detail contained within multiple paragraphs of back story aren’t even pertinent to the situation at hand. No cheat for this one, either, though.
Names. Good news! You can “cheat” on this one. Use the “find” tool to search the name of every character in the scene. At each instant, read the surrounding context and see if the subject has changed since the last time the name was mentioned. If it hasn’t, switch it to a pronoun. Names should be used to clarify.
Sentence patterns. Yeah, no cheating with this one, unfortunately. The most common repetitive pattern is the same subject followed by a verb.
Example:
He stood up, bowl in hand. He opened the window and tossed the cereal out the window. He muttered, “Not for as long as I have taste buds.”
Break it up with descriptions and rewording:
He stood, bowl in hand, and crossed the room to the open window. With the jerk of a his wrist, the milk and cereal poured into the budding flower bed.
“Get some fiber.” He slammed the window shut. “Not for as long as I have taste buds.”
“Suddenly” and “immediately”. These two words are greatly over used. In fact, they can be left out in most cases without changing the meaning of the sentence. Use your happy “find” tool and search out each one. Delete is your friend.
“Than” and “then”. I’m sure you know the difference (right?) but since you’re grooming your manuscript, take the extra couple of minutes to use the “find” tool to search for these two words. Make sure you’re using them correctly. Even the best slip up time to time. Fixing them goes a long ways in showing your command of the language. Tip: “Than” is a comparative (more than the other, less than the other) and “then” is a time reference (We’ll fix breakfast, then go meet the aliens invading Earth.)
After suffering through the above, do you still need an editor? Yes! A good editor does more than just look for unnecessary words, but following the tips will give your editor the freedom to make your manuscript really shine.
If you have self edited before, what steps would you add?
