Freelance Friday #9: Making the Best of Self-Edits

 

Freelance Friday #9:
Making the Best of Self-Edits

Another one of the big topics I saw coming in when I started asking around for ideas for this series (last year!) involved self-edits! SO without further ado…

How can you, as an author, make the best of your own skillset for self-edits? How can you discern your personal strengths and work to improve your weaknesses? And are self-edits enough to press publish?

You’ll have to ask yourself a few questions. When you’re drafting, what comes naturally to you? The dialogue? The worldbuilding? The developmental work? Is it a breeze to add commas, but you struggle to let readers “see” what you see? Do you have trouble figuring out that one synonym, or use words like “very,” “feels/felt/felt like” and other fillers? THIS is where you’ll figure out your strengths and weaknesses.

1) Those who find it easy to worldbuild or plot will most likely have strengths in their developmental/content self-editing, because you’ve probably got notebooks upon notebooks filled with how your world works. That’s just how you operate.
2) If you were a grammar nerd in school and have a knack for “feeling out” your punctuation, you’ll probably be well-served to do copyediting yourself.
3) If you’re a prose-y type of person and have a way with words, you’ve probably got line edits down better than any outsider.

And the reverse is also true:

1) If you struggle to put down on paper what’s in your brain, or your readers struggle to see what you see, a developmental editor will be a lifesaver.
2) If you despise punctuation, or you’re just a bit uncertain, you’ll want to hire out copyediting.
3) If you struggle with filler words or just can’t seem to make your sentences flow, a line editor will help.
4) If you don’t quite know where your strengths and weaknesses lie, you’ll definitely want to hire out for all of the above, or search for alpha/beta readers to help you.

Why is this important? For one, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses will help you mature your craft. Acknowledging your weaknesses will help you understand who to hire to help your story shine, better serving your audience. And when it comes down to it, you’re better serving God too.

Are self-edits enough to press publish? That’s a big old that depends. If you’re a very meticulous, detail-oriented person, you may get away with only hiring a proofreader to double-check your work. Do you always have to go through the entire gambit of editing professionally? As you hone your craft, you’ll likely develop a “feel” for what you do well and what you don’t. I’ve worked with writers who execute grammar rules and plot their stories impeccably, but need a little help with line edits, and people who are skilled in copyedits who need help with the developmental side! Rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea to have a few extra pairs of eyes on your book to make sure you don’t miss anything, whether you have trusted friends or hire it out.

 

So how can you improve your self-editing skills?

1)    Look up “filler words” and then do a search through your document to pick up excess words. Try to find synonyms (oftentimes, stronger words) that will pack a better punch for your story.

2)    Likewise, search through your document for pet punctuation marks—like em-dashes, semicolons, colons, periods, exclamation points, commas, and question marks. Chances are, you can cut down on some unnecessary punctuation. (Dashes are my vice.)

3)    Write down the plot as you believe it needs to be, and then do a read-through and write down each plot point as it happens. Does it line up with what you’re imagining?

4)    Make sure your descriptions are necessary—and not just infodumps!

5)    If you grow bored reading it, chances are you need to spice it up somehow for your readers. (Note that this does not apply for the fifteen-thousand-millionth read-through, because that’s when everyone is just plain tired of their project.)

You can also read books to improve your copy and line editing, such as Technical Editing by Carolyn Rude, or attend conferences and seminars. You can also buy copies of the Chicago Manual of Style, which is the commonly-approved editing form for fiction. (AP style and Turabian style are better for nonfiction, scholarly articles, etc.) I actually don’t recommend online programs that specifically offer “editing degrees” since the ones I’ve seen are incredibly expensive, non-accredited programs (which means you won’t get far in the workforce with said degree), but there’s nothing wrong with reading and taking a few video courses. YouTube is another great opportunity for learning punctuation and sentence structure, and that’s all free! Realm Makers and Story Embers offer online conference and seminar attendees a dearth of video replays, so checking out their upcoming speakers and offerings can provide great opportunities for improving your craft and self-editing skills!

When it comes down to it, your own skillset is important to understand, both in your strengths and your weaknesses. You can always further yourself, and there’s also nothing wrong with asking for extra eyes on your project!

What are some of your favorite self-editing resources?