Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
By Jill Kelly
2/5
()
About this ebook
Written by a professional editor with 20 years experience, this guide to self-editing offers writers of novels and short stories multiple ways to improve their writing and produce cleaner manuscripts to pitch to agents and editors or to self-publish. Includes 10 rules for avoiding errors in punctuation and syntax and creating clearer sentences and better description and dialog. Offers ideas for knowing when your book is really done and how to save money if you decide to hire a professional editor before pitching or publishing.
Jill Kelly
I began writing in 2002 with a memoir that was a finalist for the prestigious Oregon Book Award. Since then I've been writing most days in the morning for an hour or so and am currently working on book #10. It's just so fun. I'm a big reader of mysteries and thrillers and have written three of my own. I also enjoy exploring the relationships between men and women, and mothers and daughters. I'm a former college professor of literature and writing who's been a freelance editor for the last 25 years. I am also a pastel and acrylic painter and I make art deco needlepoint pillows (www.jillkellycreative.com). I live in Portland, Oregon, with my four cats who do all the chores so I can be creative 24/7.
Read more from Jill Kelly
The Candy Girl Workbook: 52 Weeks of Support for Giving up Sugar Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeace in the Face of Loss Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Your Mother Doesn't: A Novel Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSober Play: Using Creativity for a More Joyful Recovery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Candy Girl: How I gave up sugar and created a sweeter life between meals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUsing Creativity and the Chakras for Getting Things Done Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrayers of Hope for the Brokenhearted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Broken Boys: A Thriller Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBen Three Years Later Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSo Much Is Beautiful, So Much Is Broken: Poems from the Pandemic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House of Expectations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarried to the Muse: Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen the Past Comes Calling: 6 Guys, 1 Girl, 1 Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelf-Editing for Memoir Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
Related ebooks
Deep Point of View Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Internal Dialogue: A Busy Writer's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Active Hooks Book 1: Action, Emotion, Surprise and More: Writing Active Hooks, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Show, Don't Tell: How to Write Vivid Descriptions, Handle Backstory, and Describe Your Characters’ Emotions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Three-Act Writing Structure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writer to Writer: Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Write Fiction: Busy Writer's Guides Set 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Create Distinctive Character Voices Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing A Page-Turner Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Description Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Different Ways to Outline and Structure Your Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoint of View in Fiction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Creative Writing Exercises (Adventures in Writing) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Editing Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Craft Volume 1: Are You Ready to Publish? & Other Burning Questions: Writing Craft, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImproving Your Writing Craft: A Self Published, Indie Authors Guide: Wordslinger, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tidy Guide to Self-Editing Your Novel: Tidy Guides, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Starter Kit: Extended Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/52k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Anatomy of Prose: Better Writer Series Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fiction Writer's Guide to Dialogue: A Fresh Look at an Essential Ingredient of the Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nail Your Novel: Why Writers Abandon Books And How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Edit Your Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Writer's Lexicon: Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos: The Writer's Lexicon, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fiction Writing Maps: A Step-By-Step Guide To Characters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Characters Who'll Keep Readers Captivated: Nail Your Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rewrite: The How To Guide for Revising Rewriting & Editing Your Novel: Writer to Author, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Language Arts & Discipline For You
Get to the Point!: Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It's the Way You Say It: Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken, and Clear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Sign Language Book: American Sign Language Made Easy... All new photos! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Win Your Case: How to Present, Persuade, and Prevail--Every Place, Every Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Lessons in Chemistry Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Learn Sign Language in a Hurry: Grasp the Basics of American Sign Language Quickly and Easily Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Art of Handwriting: Rediscover the Beauty and Power of Penmanship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing to Learn: How to Write - and Think - Clearly About Any Subject at All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barron's American Sign Language: A Comprehensive Guide to ASL 1 and 2 with Online Video Practice Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Economical Writing, Third Edition: Thirty-Five Rules for Clear and Persuasive Prose Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road Not Taken and other Selected Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5500 Beautiful Words You Should Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As We Speak: How to Make Your Point and Have It Stick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Top Rated Books From Reddit Et Alia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read This Next: 500 of the Best Books You'll Ever Read Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Speed Reading: How to Read a Book a Day - Simple Tricks to Explode Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Easy Spanish Stories For Beginners: 5 Spanish Short Stories For Beginners (With Audio) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers - Jill Kelly
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
By
Jill Kelly, PhD
Smashwords Edition
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
Copyright © 2014 by Jill Beverly Kelly, PhD
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, mechanical, or digital, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the express written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Content
A Word from the Author
Some Basic Advice about Self-Editing
10 Rules for Self-Editing Fiction
Rule #1: Don’t edit while you are drafting
Rule #2: Balance show
and tell
Rule #3: Review your dialog
Rule #4: Keep a light and nimble hand on description
Rule #5: Make conscious decisions about point of view
Rule #6: Learn your way around standard punctuation
Rule #7: Keep subjects and verbs close together in sentences
Rule #8: Make sure all pronoun references are crystal clear to the reader (unless you consciously want them to be confused)
Rule #9: Avoid passive voice
Rule #10 Write in a style that fits your story
Some Additional Suggestions
Tools for Keeping Track
Moving Your Manuscript to Completion
The Is-My-Book-Ready Worksheet
Why Hire a Professional Editor?
Ways to Make the Best Use of the Money You Spend with an Editor
Helpful Resources
Basic Rules of Punctuation
About the Author
A Word from the Author
For the last 20 years, I’ve been editing fiction manuscripts. Before that I was a college professor of literature. And I’ve always been an avid reader. When I changed careers in 1994, I wanted to help writers get better work out into the world, work they could be proud of, work I would enjoy reading.
Unlike some of my editing colleagues, I don’t see myself as a book doctor or as a fixer. My job is to empower writers, whether they’re writing only one book or whether they’re making a career of it. While hiring a professional editor is always a good idea, I know some people can’t afford to buy enough editing hours for a deep and thorough edit of their work. Others are confirmed do-it-yourselfers. Perhaps most importantly, many of my clients want to be better writers. Self-editing can help take them there.
This brief guide covers the most common errors that I encounter in editing fiction. Of course, a writer can make hundreds of grammatical and punctuation errors. There are equally hundreds of stylistic issues that a professional editor can help you address. But you can learn to eliminate these common errors yourself and thus have a