by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales

Writing a manuscript is an exhilarating journey, but just because we’ve typed The End doesn’t mean we’re finished with our manuscript. Not. Even. Close.

What comes next is rewriting. This is where we try to make our writing better. We fix our soggy middles. Deepen our character. We make our sentences readable. Reorganize our thoughts.

And then comes the editing.

How is editing different than rewriting?

Editing is when we polish what we’ve hopefully fixed. But more often than not, because we’re so close to our stories or our thoughts, we miss quite a bit in the rewriting process.

It’s like the difference between tidying up a house to sell it and renovating a house to sell it. On the one hand, you’re simply taking what you have and trying to hide the flaws. On the other hand, you’re completely repairing the flaws.

Hiring an editor helps remedy that in our novels and manuscripts.

I work as a freelance editor. One of the things I see all the time is simple mistakes that a professional writer should be able to fix on their own. Because that’s what we want to be, right? Professional writers.

1. Fix the little things.

One way to do so is to go back through your manuscript and check for the simple, little things. Did you close your quotations? Did you use their, they’re, and there correctly (among others)? Are there one or two spaces between your sentences (old school = two; modern typing = one)?

Fix what you find, and your manuscript will already look cleaner.

2. Find the overly descriptive words and use fewer or better ones.

In other words, cut out the superfluous adjectives and use stronger verbs and fewer adverbs. I’ve seen plenty of manuscripts where the author felt it necessary to use three or four adjectives to describe one item or setting, such as someone’s hair or the kitchen.

Again, keep it simple. Leave something to the readers’ imaginations by giving them just enough to get a visual going.

3. Be sure you’ve done your research and document it appropriately.

This one’s for the nonfiction writers. If you’re going to use quotes, statistics, and other things that come from a source aside from yourself, please be sure to take note of where you found them as you do the research and add them to your book.

Create end notes. Your editor will thank you for it.

4. Format your manuscript.

This may sound complicated, but it really isn’t.

Your manuscript should be double spaced with one-inch margins all around.

Times New Roman, 12-point (pt) font.

Chapter numbers: just the numeral, centered 7 double-spaced returns down the clean page.

Your paragraphs should be indented .5″ (that’s half an inch). If you have that set up correctly in your Word document’s paragraph formatting, when you hit return/enter, the paragraph should automatically indent for you (no tab needed).

5. Be clear who your protagonist and antagonist are, so your readers will know who’s who as well.

I’ve seen manuscripts where I had no idea who the hero or heroine of the story was and/or I couldn’t identify the villain – or one was lacking. A reader wants to know who to root for … and who to watch out for. In order to be sure they do, make sure your protagonist and antagonist are evident from the start. Your readers will love you for it.

6. Know your breaks.

For fiction writers, a hard break requires a symbol centered on the page between paragraphs. This should be a pound sign or an asterisk. You only need one or three of them. Not five.

(Note that asterisks like to turn into a crazy black dashed line that’s difficult to remove if you don’t catch it immediately and hit the delete button to make it disappear. I’m not sure why it happens, but it does.)

For nonfiction writers, subheads within chapters should be flushed left and bold, identifying a break in thought or change of subject within your chapter.

7. Look for your pet words and remove them.

Everyone has pet words. Sometimes they look like starting your sentences with but, and, or so. Other times, they’re words like smile, laugh, jerk, or nod. I’ve also seen writers attach themselves to a variety of adjectives or adverbs. Every time they mention the girl, they bring up her brown hair.

Find your pet words and remove them.

8. Avoid repeating yourself.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves as an editor. In case I didn’t get it the first time, the author has to find another way to say the same exact thing but with different words. I want a story or a thought process to move forward, not get stuck in remember I said this two paragraphs ago mode.

Sometimes I think authors run out of words or feel that a chapter is too short, so they need to prove they still have words to say or a paragraph to fatten up. Please don’t do this. Keep it simple. It’s okay to do so. Move on to the next thought.

9. Double check your work.

I know how wearying it can be to have to go through your manuscript five times before turning it in, but trust me, it’s worth it. It makes you look professional, even if you’re still learning your craft.

10. Listen to your editor.

Your editor knows what he or she is talking about, or they wouldn’t be editing professionally. If your editor provides suggestions, consider putting them into action. Granted, we don’t want our editor to change our voice or misunderstand the genre we’re writing. But we do want them to help us improve our manuscript so we can hopefully get it published one day.

What are other things you’ve had an editor point out that are simple fixes? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Alycia Morales is a freelance editor and writer. Her writing has been in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. Her editing clients have won several awards for their manuscripts, including finalist in the Selah Award. She is also a conference manager and the blog editor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.

When she isn’t busy hanging out with her writing friends, her husband, and her four children, Alycia enjoys reading, watching TV, hiking, and crafting.

Follow Alycia at her blogs, Life.Inspired. and The Write Editing. She can also be found on Instagram and Pinterest.