Welcome to the August 2025 issue of Editing Tips!

August: 1) the second half of summer in the Northern Hemisphere; 2) the beginning of the new school year in some places; 3) a time to vacation; 4) a time to dive into new projects…

For me, it’s time to write more, get my daughter sent off on her next adventure (moving west), and get some things done around the house in preparation for our 2026 move.

Editing Tip

While most of us would love to make one pass of our first draft and fix all the mistakes and shore up all the weaknesses, that’s not how the writing process goes. <sad face>

No matter how many editing passes your book goes through (both professional and otherwise), it’s helpful to learn from the various types of edits available.

Big picture edits look at the overall story. Is there a satisfying story arc and believable character arcs for each main character? Do all the elements of your nonfiction work fit together relatively seamlessly? Are there plot holes you forgot to fill? Unanswered questions? Missing action steps in your prescriptive nonfiction?

Of course, these are only some of the big picture issues you’ll want to be on the lookout for, but even these may require several passes to address.

And the other types of edits and how they apply to the revision process? We’ll cover those in future issues of the newsletter.

Tip for Fiction Writers

The July 28 episode of K.M. Weiland’s Helping Writers Become Authors podcast addressed the issue of what stories we, as writers, read.

Are we reading what we want to write? Does what we’re reading make us think? Do the books we read go beyond escapist fiction?

Note: Weiland wasn’t saying we had to read the classics and literary fiction if that’s not what we enjoy reading. Nor was she saying that there’s anything wrong with reading to temporarily escape the craziness of the world. She was simply saying that there are benefits to examining what we’re reading.

This corresponds to what I’ve been thinking about recently. While I’ll continue to read the cozy mysteries and sweet romances I have on my virtual and physical shelves, I intend to read more literary fiction and possibly, some genres I’ve been neglecting.

How can you s-t-r-e-t-c-h when it comes to your reading?

How does what you read affect what you write?

What’s at the top of your TBR pile?

Tip for Nonfiction Writers

What we think our readers need to know and what they think they need to know doesn’t always line up. In writing circles, the latter is referred to as the readers’ “felt need.”

When writing nonfiction, it’s important to first, learn what our target audience is looking for in the books, articles, and blog posts they read. Second, we must ask ourselves if what we’re writing/planning to write will 1) address their felt need or 2) effectively take them beyond their felt need to what we believe to be their deeper need.

A Word of Warning: As writers, we must humbly accept that we may be wrong about what are readers truly need. We must be willing to get to know our target audience and provide them with information and insights that will truly make their lives better.

Challenge accepted?

Tip for Memoir Writers

While we don’t want to manipulate our readers’ emotions no matter what we write, it is important that they feel something. Otherwise, they will likely set our work aside.

True, this may not be the case if we’re writing an academic paper or a textbook, but other than that…

When we’re writing memoir, we must be willing to dig deep. We may have to relive difficult, sometimes painful, emotions as well as happy ones.

Rather than name these emotions, this is a perfect example of when the advice “show, don’t tell” comes into play.

After all, which of the following examples is more likely to draw in the reader?

1. I was nervous when I went for my first job interview.

2. My stomach clenched. My heart raced. And my palms were so sweaty, I could barely grasp the handle to the office door.

Deep Point of View Basics

What is Author Intrusion?

Forgive me while I show my age for a moment.

In bygone days, there was a TV show called “The Trouble with Tracy,” a sitcom in which the main character would periodically turn to the camera and address viewers directly. It was unique and fun. However, if every show included that feature, it would get old … fast.

While there are much subtler examples of author intrusion, if you feel the character (or the author) is addressing you directly, the work is not an example of deep point of view, at least not that portion of the work.

As a writer, if writing in DPOV, take care not to address your reader directly, even disguised as dialogue.

Featured Recommendations

Interested in indie publishing?

If so, you may want to check out the following resources:

Website

The Alliance of Independent Authors

Podcast

The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn

Book

Creative Self-Publishing by Orna Ross

Coming in September

The new surprise feature begins next month. See you then!

If you know a writer who may enjoy this newsletter and who likes writing and writing-related surprises, feel free to invite them to sign up by clicking this link: https:buttondown.com//steph_beth