by Alycia W. Morales     @AlyciaMorales

Self-editing can be an overwhelming task, especially if you don’t know what to look for. Below is an ABC list of self-editing issues. It is by no means all-inclusive, but it will give you a great jumpstart for improving your manuscript.

Adverbs: Actually, a lot of people frequently start their sentences with these. Unless they impact the sentence they’re used in, delete them.

Believability: Is your plot believable? Does what your characters say make sense to the reader and sound like real conversation? Would your character really react that way? Make sure what you’ve written is believable to the reader.

Commas: If the second half of your compound sentence doesn’t have a subject and a verb, then you don’t need the comma in between. I frequently fix comma mistakes, and I could write a book about the proper uses of the comma.

Deep POV: This is the editor’s preferred use of inner thoughts. No italics required.

Ellipses/Em Dash: Ellispes are used to show someone’s thought drifting off or a pause in dialogue. However, if your character pauses in dialogue, you may only need to use a comma. Double check your manuscript to be sure you haven’t overused these. The Em Dash is used to show an interruption. If a character is talking and another character cuts them off with dialogue, the em dash is used.

Formatting: Usually Times New Roman or Courier font. 12 pt. Double spaced. (No extra spaces between sentences.) One-inch margins. Tab set at 0.5.

Grammar: Read your sentence out loud. Does it sound right to you? If not, chances are you have grammatical errors.

Hooks: Make sure you start your manuscript with a hook and end each chapter with one so that your reader will want to turn the page and keep reading.

Info Dumps: Just like backstory should be woven into a novel in very small amounts and spread out, readers don’t want an introduction to the science of something in the middle of your story. Weave information into dialogue or deep POV and make it sparse, like a sentence or two.

Journey: Your lead character needs to go on a journey throughout your story. This is called a character arc. They start at one point and need to overcome conflicts throughout in order to come to the place where they must change. Make sure your character arcs.

Know: Know what to cut, what to keep, and know the craft well. This will save a lot of time and energy, as well as a few headaches.

Loose Threads: Make sure that if you’ve mentioned something at the beginning of the novel, it’s been carried through to the end and resolved in one way or another. Don’t leave your reader hanging.

Middle: Is the middle of your novel as exciting as the beginning and the end? If not, try upping the conflict. Make the stakes higher for your character.

Names: Make sure you haven’t changed your character’s name or misspelled it at any point in the manuscript.

Omniscient POV: Some cases call for omniscient POV, but most won’t. Double check

Point of View: Make sure you remain in one character’s POV at a time. Use a scene change (hard break) if you need to switch characters. Write in first or third person but not both.

Quotation Marks: Make sure you have closed all of them and used a period or question mark. Also, note that larger works such as albums and television show titles are italicized, while smaller works like song titles and television show episodes are in quotation marks.

Repetition: Please avoid it. Look for words repeating in sentences. Look for pet words you use to describe things, as verbs and that you “just” tend to use. Look for repetitive emotions, which are a sign your character isn’t overcoming and growing.

Speaker Beats and Tags: If you are using a speaker beat, you do not need the tag. A common mistake is to write like this: Hannah read her script and said, “When do I need to know these lines?” The correct way to write a speaker beat is: Hannah read her script. “When do I need to know these lines?”

Timeline: Is your timeline in order? Make sure you don’t have one character doing something at noon and then switch to another character who is doing something at ten. Check your chronological order.

Upset: We don’t want to upset our readers. Make sure you don’t have any preaching or pointing fingers happening in your novel or non-fiction manuscript. Readers are smart and will see it for what it is. Step off your soapbox and tell a story that illustrates the lesson you’d like to share.

Verbs: Make them count. Use active verbs that state what is really happening. Avoid the inactive “was” combined with –ing endings. Avoid using verbs that are too strong and over-exaggerate the point.

Word Count: Make sure your word count is within publishing guidelines, whether you are blogging, writing a novel or flash fiction.

Xtra Words: There are several words that signal lazy writing. You’ll want to check your manuscript for them. Some are: watched, saw, observed, felt, caused, made and knew. Look for emotions (happy, sad, angry). These shouldn’t be named, as that’s telling. They should be shown.

You: Have you intruded into the story? If your author voice is taking over the characters’ voices, then you need to rewrite.

Zealous: Be zealous to find the things you can cut from your manuscript, the things you need to rewrite and the things you can leave alone. Editing is hard work, but it’s worth it if your book becomes the best it can so your readers enjoy it.

Join the fun! Think of tips for 3 consecutive letters of the alphabet and share them below. We’d love to see what you come up with! [reminder]

Alycia W. Morales is an award-winning freelance editor and author. Her clients have won the Selah Award, BRMCWC Director’s Choice Award, and many others. Her writing has been published in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. She is a member of ACFW, the president of Cross n’ Pens critique group, and a BRMCWC Conference Assistant.

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children taking hikes in Upstate SC and NC, creating various crafts, coloring in adult coloring books, and watching TV.

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