How to Self-Edit like a Pro Part 1

Okay, I know I probably ruffled a few feathers yesterday when I suggested that, when starting out, you don't "need" an editor. That isn't exactly true. You do need an editor, but that editor can be you. However, it is important that you be vigilant about your editing.

Let me stop a moment and give a bit of definition here. I am talking about editing

and not revision or rewriting. I will discuss those at a later date. Editing comes after you have gotten the story itself in order. Add or cut scenes, fill plot holes, eliminate non-essential descriptive passages before you start to edit. Editing deals mostly with the questions of mechanics and style.

Think about writing like sculpting a statue. First, you chip away to create a general shape of the figure. Then, you make smaller cuts to bring out the outlines of the features. Finally, you make even smaller cuts to add details and to polish the work. Your first draft is the general shaping of your novel. Then you rewrite by removing, adding  and modifying paragraphs, pages, scenes and chapters. You might reorder them and check for the logical flow of the plot. Finally, you edit, focusing largely on individual sentences, words and mechanics.

This is not a short process, however, it can save the indie writer hundreds or even thousands of dollars in editing costs, and, for the traditionally published writer, it can make a publisher happy because there is less work for the editors to do.

Let it Simmer

The first thing to do when editing your writing is to let it sit. You should do this before you begin rewriting. Once you finish that first draft, you should let the manuscript sit for at least 2 weeks, but a month is better. If you can afford the time, two months is ideal.

You want to read this novel the way a reader would. In a way, you want to forget what you wrote. Of course, you won't forget the plot, characters, scenes and outcome. However, you will forget more of the minutia of the writing. You want to be separated from the passion of composition in order to embrace the cold reality of evaluation and repair.

After that period of revision, let the book sit for another week or so. Rewriting often reignites those passions for the story and your familiarity with the very look of the file on the screen. It's easy to breeze over errors simply because you have seen them again and again.

One tip is to switch programs. If you wrote and rewrote the book using Scrivener, say, then edit in Word. If you wrote it in Word, then edit in Google Docs or Libre Office. Sometimes, it's helpful to convert your word processing document into a .mobi or .epub file and read it in an ereader, tablet, or laptop app. Most have highlight and note functions. You can simply highlight a sentence or a word you need to deal with later.

Automating Editing with Find and Replace

One of your best friends is the "Find and Replace" function on your word processor. I always start there. First, I learned to type in an era when we were trained to put two spaces after the end punctuation of each sentence. With fixed width typewriter text it enhanced reading. However, today, the protocol is one space. So, my first step is to simply open the replace function on Word, put two spaces in the find box and one space in the replace box. Then I hit replace all.

Several hundred replacements are often made with that one command saving me hours of time. That may not be your problem, but most of us have problems we repeat over and over that can be automatically corrected. Here are a few other ways to use the replace function in editing.

Standardizing Spelling of Names

I have a name that is spelled in several ways. I've seen Terri, Terry, Teri and Terrie. Maybe in the heat of composition, your Terri in chapter one become Terry in chapter five. You can simply find all the instances of one spelling and replace it with the other.

Filler Words

I tend to use certain words and phrases repetively. They include: Actually, Honestly, You know and Well among others. I simply use the find command to go through each instance of the word and see if I can eliminate it or use another word. In most cases, it can be eliminated.

Overused Words

This is similar to filler words. However, these words can't be eliminated. We all tend to fall in love with certain words and phrases. I'm found of "At the end of the day." So, that's a good one to search for and see if I've used it a lot. If I have, I should mix it up a little.

Technical Terms

Technical terms are fine if you are writing for a specific audience that understands those terms. However, if you are writing for a more general readership, you should consider writing using more general terms. For instance, as an educator, I might use a term like "pedagogical strategy" in a book about teaching your children to read when I should say "teaching tool" or "educational technique."


Make a list of mistakes you make often in the heat of composition. See how many of them can be easily fixed by running a search for them or even running a search and an automated replacement.

In our next post we will discuss using MS-Word's spelling and grammar checker to speed up your editing.