Before You Hire an Editor...

(Self-editing Tips for Authors)

Imaginarium Convention, 2023

JoAnn Sky, Presenter

I attended the Imaginarium Convention last year in Louisville KY and gained a wealth of information. As a new writer, I didn’t know what I didn’t know, so the variety of workshops and panel discussions were eye-opening for me. One of many workshops I attended was on self-editing. The presenter laid out some basic techniques that you, as a writer can perform. I want to highlight a few here.

Technique #1 – Break It Up (White Space is Your Friend). White space affects pacing, readability, and mood. Look for opportunities to break up larger paragraphs. It gives the eyes a break and engages the readers.

Technique #2 – Power Up Your Vocabulary. This shows more sophistication in your writing. Eliminate extra words and redundancies. If removing adverbs doesn’t change the meaning of a sentence, remove the adverb, and replace it with a strong verb.

Technique #3 – Transform Your Dialogue Tags. Review all of your dialogue and ask yourself these questions:

Do I need a tag to clarify the speaker or describe the tone?

Is the tag located in the best place? Change up the placement – before, middle, or end

Can I use an action tag instead?

o   Gestures (shrug, wave)

o   Movements (stomp feet, pivot)

o   Interactions with the environment (slam window, gaze uninterested outside)

o   Expressions (frown, smile)

o   Narrative/Internal thoughts (internal thoughts are italicized)

Technique #4 – Format and Spell-check Your Manuscript.

12 pt. Times New Roman

One-inch margins all around

Double-spaced paragraphs (No extra spacing or lines before or after)

Indent new paragraphs one-half inch (Don’t use tab)

Single space between sentences

Page number placement – bottom, center within the one-inch margin

Spell-check is your friend.

Technique #5 – Double-check Your Punctuation.

Sentences begin with a capital letter.

Dialogue is surrounded by quotation marks. “Hello,” Bob said.

Punctuation is placed inside the quotes.

Questions end with question marks – don’t they?

Use exclamation points sparingly and always only one. Really!

Another suggestion before engaging an editor is to find beta readers. A beta reader is someone who reads your work to provide feedback. Though beta readers are not editors or professional critics, they can play an important role in helping you improve the work by pointing out errors, plot holes, inconsistencies, or unclear passages.

Betas may be friends or acquaintances, or strangers who know their book’s genre well. I have found my writing group to be invaluable in this regard. Come join us!