By Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

Writing and editing should go hand in hand, but let’s be real.

Just because I’m fairly skilled in the kitchen and know what a chicken is doesn’t mean I know all the ways to cook it, amiright?

Before you go pro, here are some tips to self-edit your first draft:

1. Write like you speak. If y’all have had the awesome ~ and by awesome, I mean fully awkward ~ chance to speak with me, you know my writing is just my mouth on paper. Use your voice to add flavor to your manuscript. (I said flavor. Get it?!)
2. But don’t write like you speak. Dang it. Wait. I had a reason … uhm…. Oh! Yeah. *snaps fingers and points* Readers love true-to-life characters. Until those characters are vocally stumbling all over themselves. Every. Single. Page. So, uh. Yeah. If you can clean up the narrative, I guess. Then. Do it.
3. Give it a bird’s-eye view. I enlarge the screen for easy viewing as I write. [Let’s not talk about the age correlation, okay?] That’s all fine and good for working a scene, but what about the whole picture? Shrinking the view to 30-40% allows an overall visual of the layout. The view from afar can help you pinpoint too-short or too-long scenes and chapters, not enough action, or too much dialogue.
4. Seek and hide. Don’t let words hurt your book baby. Do an edit > search and eliminate as many as you can: Just. Only. So. But. And. Then. That. Even. Like. Well.
5. Learn the lingo. Your characters need to portray their world eloquently. Use the cultural colloquialisms but not overbearingly. If we’re talking like writing is food prep (and, in case you didn’t know, we are), think of this as the garnish. You want just enough for your reader to experience what you’re offering, without tasting so much cilantro there’s no chicken. [Again with the chicken?!]
6. Grammar tools are not grammar gods. Don’t rely solely on technology. Read out loud. Listen to rhythms and patterns.
7. And now for something completely different. Don’t change something until you have to change something. Stay consistent with your characters and locations. Maintain overall continuity so your reader isn’t pulled out of the story with unnecessary plot twists and red herrings.
8. YOU DO YOU. Remember, you’re inviting the reader to your table. They’re eating what you serve because they like the way you make it. There is plenty of structure and guidance to follow when writing fiction. You just put on your fun T-shirt and sing out loud in airports as you go. And don’t ever be chicken about the seasonings you sprinkle on your journey. [Oh, c’mon. That was as predictable as sweet tea in the South, wasn’t it?]

With a cup full of chicory and a messy beignet ~

Come alive, stay wild, and always, savor the journey.

Author of the romantic location mystery novel, NOLA, Molly Jo Realy is an award-winning writer and author coach. Known as the Bohemian Hurricane, she encourages people to embrace their unique talents to come alive and stay wild every day. Addicted to cats, coffee, and pens in no particular order.

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram for more fun!

Website: mollyjorealy.com