Revised Tips for Enhancing Your Personal Writing: 19 Strategies to Consider
In the realm of fiction writing, self-editing plays a pivotal role in refining a manuscript to achieve clarity, engagement, and professionalism. Here's a synthesis of expert advice and revision checklists, focusing on grammar, voice, pacing, and style improvements:
Grammar
- Eliminate repeated words and awkward phrasing by reading carefully or using a tool to catch redundancies.
- Check for correct tense consistency throughout the story to avoid confusion.
- Watch out for common grammar errors like misplaced modifiers, comma splices, and subject-verb agreement issues.
- Use active voice over passive voice where possible to improve clarity and immediacy.
- Verify proper punctuation, especially dialogue tags and sentence boundaries to maintain flow.
Voice
- Ensure the narrator’s voice is consistent and appropriate for the story’s tone and point of view.
- Avoid telling rather than showing: Use specific and vivid details and actions instead of exposition.
- Reduce use of adverbs and adjectives; let strong verbs and nouns carry the scene.
- Check that dialogue sounds natural and character-specific, avoiding filler phrases or unnatural tone.
Pacing
- Break long paragraphs or chunks of narration to increase readability and maintain momentum.
- Trim unnecessary scenes or descriptions that don’t move the plot or develop characters.
- Use varied sentence lengths—short sentences to speed up action, longer ones for reflection or description.
- Ensure each scene advances the story or character development to keep readers engaged.
Style Improvements
- Cut excessive adverbs and filler words (e.g., very, really, just).
- Look for cliché phrases and replace them with fresh, original language.
- Use strong, specific verbs instead of generic ones combined with adverbs.
- Maintain consistent tone and style aligned with the genre and story’s mood.
- Use sensory details effectively to create immersive settings without overloading the text.
Practical Self-Editing Tips
- Do multiple revision passes, focusing on one category at a time (e.g., first for plot/character, then language/sentences).
- After completing a draft, take a break before editing to return with fresh eyes.
- Read your work aloud to catch awkward phrasing and rhythm issues.
- Use a checklist tailored to your personal weak spots and story needs to stay organized during revisions.
In addition, the author advises being specific when describing objects, such as "the red Oldsmobile convertible" instead of "the car". The author has published a novel titled "To Hunt a Sub", and they spent equal amounts of time writing and editing the novel. The author suggests summarizing instead of repeating events when a character is talking to someone who didn’t live through the last few chapters.
Embracing a meticulous self-editing routine in the home-and-garden of your writing process will help produce a polished manuscript. Just like trimming repeated words and awkward phrasing in your writing, being specific when describing objects enriches the lifestyle of your story.
