Editing for Success!

Whether you are content editing or line editing, editing is the key to a polished manuscript. Content editing means reading for flow, evaluating the placement of ideas or events and ensuring that point of view is consistent, throughout. Action, stories and events should follow a logical order, where stories flow easily and plot points appear on cue. Line editing is reading for grammatical accuracy. This means that your basic grammar is correct, that repetitive or redundant phrases are eliminated, and that adjectives/modifiers are used appropriately and only when necessary.

Most of us love specific words, and use them over and over in our prose. Sharpening our awareness of such a habit is the first step to refining editorial skills. As part of polishing your manuscript through content editing, identify overused words or phrases and eliminate them. For example, one popular writer (with several fine books to his credit) repeated the same word, again and again, throughout his novels. The word was “smirk.” Every other page, some character smirked. The hero smirked. The villain smirked. The sidekick smirked. He must have used at least 500 smirks in a single book. Obviously, the author was unaware of this redundancy. Unfortunately, these “smirks” made it past his editor and onto the shelf. 

Line editing is wonderful for removing pointless “thats,” “ands,” “buts” or other meaningless words. When done correctly, it’s like pressing your manuscript through a sieve. Everything extraneous or redundant is screened away. What remains is a literary gem, a story faceted with creative phrases and memorable metaphors.

Need I say, dump your clichés? A cliché is a phrase that’s been so overused it has no meaning. The online dictionary defines it as “a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase…that has lost originality, ingenuity and impact by long overuse…” Phrases like “mad as a hatter” or “monkey brained” are clichés. Our bodies are only as healthy as their individual cells. Similarly, our manuscripts are only as interesting as our individual words and phrases.

Finally, stellar writing requires a stellar vocabulary. Nothing makes a manuscript stand out like brilliant verbiage. This doesn’t mean each sentence should be packed with four and five syllable words. Sometimes we get the biggest emotional punch from short, sharp words that pop. Mastering writing requires an intimate knowledge of language. Pursue your love of words by studying them. Don’t be afraid to use a thesaurus. Find one you like and make it your counselor.

Editing is the last step for a good writer. Clarity, fluency and polish depend on editing skills. As an editor, your best education is to read, read, read. The more you read, the more you hone an intuitive sense for structure and flow. Years ago, I bought a book about Robert Frost, my favorite poet. In this book, they showed a first draft of his poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay. I was shocked. It was mediocre writing. But, after editing, it became one of his most powerful poems. Remember, quality editing makes good writing great!