Welcome to the September issue of Editing Tips!

It’s here, my favourite season. Officially, it’s just around the corner, but you get the idea. It’s the perfect time to include our new feature. I’ve saved it for the end. Enjoy!

Editing Tip

I used to say that the only thing I was consistent about was my inconsistency. This should never be true of our writing.

Creating a “story bible” for your fiction can be incredibly helpful. List character traits, the spelling of character names, setting descriptions, etc.

Use a similar structure and length for each chapter of your nonfiction book. (Of course, there is room for flexibility, but the structure of the chapters shouldn’t be “all over the place.”)

Tip for Fiction Writers

Creating the aforementioned story bible will ensure that your main character doesn’t have blue eyes in chapter one and brown eyes in chapter ten.

It can help you keep track of how much time has passed between scenes.

It will also make it easier to use made-up words in the same way throughout. (This is especially important when writing sci-fi and fiction, but applies in other genres as well.)

Tip for Nonfiction Writers

Many nonfiction books are set up with consistent section headings in each chapter.

Although this does not apply to all nonfiction works by any means, if this applies to your book, it’s best not to switch up the order in which the sections appear, leave out sections, or randomly add others in the midst of your established layout.

Tip for Memoir Writers

Relatability is important no matter what we write, but when it comes to memoir, it is especially important.

Even readers who don’t share key specifics with the “main character” (gender, nationality, experience, etc.) can be drawn into a memoir if they find the individual relatable.

Deep Point of View Basics

You rarely need to include “I/She saw,” “I/He thought,” “I/They heard,” etc. when writing in DPOV.

For example…

OKAY: I saw an ominous figure on the path ahead. I thought it was a dog, a massive dog. Then I heard it howl. That was no ordinary dog.

BETTER: An ominous figure blocked my path. A dog? A massive canine? It opened its immense jaws and howled. I threw up my hands to cover my ears. It was no ordinary dog!

Featured Recommendations

This month we welcome Author Janet Sketchley, the first contributor to our new feature, “One Writer’s Editing Process.” (Thanks to Janet for suggesting the title for the section below.)

Check out Janet’s website: News | Janet Sketchley

One Writer’s Editing Process

Welcome, Janet! Thank you for sharing your process with us.

Dare I confess I enjoy the editing part of writing? Even though it’s hard work—and there’s lots of it.

Confession: I actually start self-editing my fiction before writing the first word. If you draft by the seat of your pants, bear with me on this first point.

I need to know the basics and arrange them into a big-picture structure before starting to write. It reduces the overwhelm later, and it minimizes the rabbit trails.

Like Stephanie, I’m a list-lover. Since I’m writing a series, I come into the next mystery with lists of details about known settings, characters, and timelines. These expand and evolve as the story unfolds. Referring to them as I write minimizes the fix-ups later.

Once the first, messy draft is done and I’ve gone back to fill in the spots I flagged for details, I go through each scene and check for continuity. Has my guy with the goofy t-shirt worn it two days in a row? Has my police officer worked too long without time off or bounced weirdly between day and night shifts?

Taking this more clinical look gives me some distance to observe the plot flow and intersection of subplots. Have the clues and revelations come in a logical order? Does the heroine’s internal arc feel natural? Did I set something up and forget to resolve it?

Once I’ve tackled these structural-level edits, I export the file to my tablet and read it as a novel in as few sittings as possible. I’ll highlight anything that sticks out and make quick notes, but basically this is a chance to feel how it flows as a whole.

Only after these larger revisions are in place do I let myself turn to my nit-picky lists: weak words, over-used words, and grammar/punctuation. These are the visible things I’d rather tackle first, but why polish a paragraph or scene I may end up changing—or cutting?

Of course, once I have the manuscript in “perfect” shape and send it to my freelance editor, her professional view will result in a whole raft of changes and revisions. My next steps: sulk, fix the easy stuff, prayerfully tackle the harder stuff in consultation with her if needed. I won’t do everything she says the way she says it, but I’m confident in our shared desire to make this story the best it can be.

You know what happens next, and the multi-taskers among us are already in action… Time to discover the next story.

Janet Sketchley is currently working on Book 5 in the Green Dory Inn mystery series. Book 1 is Unknown Enemy. She’s also the author of the Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense series and the daily devotional books A Year of Tenacity and Tenacity at Christmas. She likes her fiction with a splash of mystery and a dash of Christianity. Why leave faith out of our stories if it’s part of our lives? Janet writes in Atlantic Canada, and you can find her online at janetsketchley.ca

A Final Word

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