Seven Techniques for Tidy Self-Editing

Seven Techniques for Tidy Self-Editing

When you were a kid, how clean was your room? If you were like me (a tad bit anal), everything was in its spot, the floor was clear, and the clothes put away. However, most youngsters I knew had rooms that were a cluttered mess—much like the first draft of anything you write. Whether it is an article, a scene from your novel or memoir, a segment from your self-help book, or even a verse of poetry, your initial run at it will be downright untidy, and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with your writing. It simply needs to be edited—by you.

You might be surprised at how many writers don’t attempt to edit their own work or, if they do, don’t sufficiently edit it before submitting it for publication. Such sloppiness reflects poorly on you and, even more, is entirely unnecessary. Self-editing is an easily learned and executed skill for any style or genre of writing when you take the time to study the requirements. There are superb books aplenty available on the subject. In one of the best books on editing fiction, Revision & Self Editing by James Scott Bell, he says you must “train to be your own editor … As you practice, what you learn gets implanted into your writer’s mind. This is how unpublished writers become published.”

These seven techniques for self-editing are the very same chronological steps I use to edit my writing as well as the writing of my clients. This methodology allows you to systematically apply the style guidelines of your specific genre to your writing so that your final draft will be as tidy and polished as possible.

Step 1: Print it out
While this may not be the most environmentally-friendly step (though using recycled print cartridges and paper will help), reading your work off-screen is essential. By moving your eyes from the computer monitor to the printed page, you’ll see errors that you’d otherwise miss: misspellings, typos, spacing, and formatting among them.

Step 2: Read aloud and mark corrections
Using the printed version, next read it out loud. Don’t whisper or read silently; by using your voice at its normal volume and hearing your writing, you will notice areas where the overall flow and rhythm is choppy and should be revised so that the reader will experience the piece hiccup-free.

Step 3: Read silently backwards and mark corrections
I know; this seems counterintuitive—and that’s exactly why it’s vital. You’ll likely be shocked at the amount of boo-boos and even missing words that you’ll catch as you perform this step. It also makes your brain do something different from the norm, and it’s always good to challenge the ‘ol noggin in this way.

Step 4: Proofread and mark corrections
Still using the printed version, you now perform an old-fashioned but never to be neglected proofreading run on your work, watching for punctuation, capitalization, and the like. Add those to the marks you’ve already made to your piece—and, by the way, it is best to do this with a pencil rather than a pen, allowing you the option to erase as needed.

Step 5: Type in corrections and read aloud one paragraph at a time
Now you return to your computer, type in all of your noted corrections to create your official second draft, and then read it aloud once more. Stop after each paragraph, type and fix any errors, and then go to the next paragraph and so on until you complete the segment.

Step 6: Review electronically once more with style rules and make corrections
Using this second draft, now look at your style guidelines for the genre or particular facets of the writing (for example, if fiction, you’ll look at the rules for dialogue, description and setting, and characterization and viewpoint) and complete your revisions. Warning: Don’t refer to the guidelines; read them. Take your time. Refuse to gloss over the details.

Step 7: Silently read electronically (the next day, if possible)
Finally, you set the piece aside and then return for one more silent read-through of the electronic version. After you put in any last changes, you now have your final draft of that piece or section. Build time into your process to wait a full day before executing this last step. There’s nothing like reading it with a fresh mind and eyes.

In the end, it is best that you then give all of your final drafts to your own hired editor to review before you submit or publish. Everything I write or edit (including this blog post) is edited by my associate editor, Meg Villanueva, before it goes out, and she always finds things I’ve missed and improves the final product. Yes, this will require a regular expense on your part—but your excellence as a writer is worth it and truly makes you merit the title “professional.”

I want to hear from you!
Of the seven techniques, which one has been (or will be) most challenging for you? Why?