by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com
Self-editing can’t replace professional editing, but it can make your manuscript stronger before it reaches your editor. Also, the less time your editor spends with your manuscript, the less-expensive the edits are.
Here are a few tips for better self-editing.
Let Your Manuscript Rest
Put your finished draft away for at least a week, preferably longer. This distance helps you see problems you missed while writing. When you return to the manuscript, you’ll notice repetitive phrases, unclear passages, and plot inconsistencies that were invisible when the story was fresh in your mind. The longer the break, the more objective you’ll become about your own work.
Read Aloud for Flow and Dialogue
Reading your manuscript aloud reveals problems your eyes skip over. Awkward sentences become obvious when you stumble over them. Dialogue that looks fine on paper might sound stilted when it’s spoken. You’ll catch missing words, repeated phrases, and sentences that run too long. This technique is especially good for identifying rhythm problems in your prose.
Search for Your Problem Words
Most writers have verbal tics: words they overuse without realizing it. Use your word processor’s search function to find these patterns. Common culprits include “just,” “really,” “very,” “that,” and “had.” You don’t need to eliminate every instance, but seeing how often you use certain words helps you vary your language and tighten your prose.
Check Scene Purposes
Every scene should accomplish something specific: advance the plot, develop character, or reveal important information. If you can’t identify why a scene exists, consider cutting or combining it with another scene. This structural editing step helps eliminate unnecessary passages that slow your story’s momentum.
Print and Mark Up
Reading on paper can show different problems than reading on screen. Try printing your manuscript and use a red pen to mark awkward spots, unclear passages, and areas that feel slow. The physical act of marking up pages often reveals issues you miss during computer-based editing. This old-school method can provide a different perspective on your work.
Self-editing takes practice, but it’s a skill that improves your writing overall and makes professional editing more effective when you’re ready for that step.
What self-editing techniques work best for you?
5 essential self-editing techniques every writer should master: Share on X
I usually don't let mine rest more than a week because by the time I finally finish (slow writer) I have completely forgotten most of the story. I always print mine out though and do a search for overused words. Even when I know what they are, they still creep in.
I hear you about forgetting the story! Printing is a great way to find mistakes.
I love these ideas, Elizabeth! All of them are excellent, but I especially noticed the first two. Sometimes people like to rush through the revision/editing stage, but letting it rest is useful. I've found it gives me 'fresh eyes' to see the work. And your advice about reading a manuscript aloud is something I've told my students for years. Read it out loud to yourself, and you often catch those awkwardnesses or repeated words, etc., that you don't catch while reading silently.
Resting the manuscript is a great way to get a fresh perspective. :)
As a final check, before formatting & uploading, I have a computer or ereader read the book to me. The computer will read *exactly* what is written, and certain types of error (like repeated words) that are easy to miss when reading suddenly become very obvious.
That’s a good trick, Russell! And we can save our own voice when the computer reads the book.
Great tips as always, Elizabeth
Reading aloud is a great way to check dialogue
Thanks
Thanks, Mike!
When I print out a story, I can see mistakes so much easier. Something about the computer screen blurs and hides them.
Seeing the story in different formats really does help.
Hi Elizabeth – always read through what is going out into the world … so easily things slip through the net. I can imagine proof-reading a book is a necessary evil – as it shows professionalism and a desire to help others who will guide with editing and getting the work out there. These five ideas seem extremely sensible. Checking for spelling mistakes too … cheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary! Yes, good for typos and spelling errors, too.
Always print mine out (have my entire series printed out) and have done 1st volume to last volume, then last to first, multiple times, looking for all kinds of issues, small and large. Even when I'm going through the long process of editing my first drafts, I still went through the two remaining books for another round of editing.
It’s a long process, isn’t it? But so worthwhile. Thanks for coming by!