Now that I’m in the editing phase of the memoir I’m ghostwriting, I went back and reviewed some blog posts I’ve read in the past year on the subject. Here are the best five, and why:
Perfecting Your Plot
This post won a spot on my list because one successful writer gives his process for editing. Understanding what he does and why gave me some insight into how I should edit my own manuscripts. As an added bonus, he lists resources for improving plots and finding editors.
Be a Published Author: 4 steps to Successful Revisions
This post advocates a four-step process, making three passes through the manuscript. (Step one is Make a Plan.) The first pass looks at the story level, the second the scene level, and the third, the sentence level. It’s at this third level the next two posts will really come in handy.
From Pathetic to Professional: 8 ways to Beat the First Draft Blues
As always, the posts on Anne Allen’s blog are full of useful, practical tips. This one gives a great explanation of errors to look for, as well as resources for helping the process along.
Words Writers Should Delete
We all do it. We use words that could just as easily be omitted, but somehow they creep in. This post gives a handy checklist for words that do little more than clutter up a manuscript without adding anything of value.
Final edits: What do you look for?
Like most writers, I get attached to my metaphors, similes, and other turns of phrase I think are so brilliant. Too bad for them they bog the story down or distract the reader with too much detail. This post gives great tips on how to be the ruthless editor every book needs. Painful as it is to cut out a passage I’ve labored over, what does it matter, as long as the book it better for it?
What are some of your favorite editing posts and resources?