Tag: self-editing

The process of developing and polishing a complete draft should be one of the most creative times in a project. This is your final chance to hone your story based on the best of your ideas and refine your style to boost your substance.

You may have typed "the end" on the last page of your manuscript, but it's not ready to be sent to your editor. These nine steps will help clarify what you need to do before you ship your book off for editing.

Authors want to manipulate readers' thoughts — this is why we read, after all. We love getting swept away into new worlds, with new people and ideas. Getting a reader's thought map is a great way to hone this skill.

Transforming your work from “draft” to “done” can be daunting, and the process can differ depending on the needs of a project. Here are some strategies to consider when reviewing your text, regardless of context, when preparing your final edit.

Being able to edit your own writing is a great skill, but this variation on a theme is about chopping the important things you’ve been waiting too long to fix. Maybe the reason you haven't been able to fix them is because they are un-fixable.

Sometimes, writing can feel like beating your head against a wall. If you're running up against an intimidating writing project, a "divide and conquer" approach might help you cross the finish line. With minimal head-banging.

When "Tidying Up" aired early in January 2019 on Netflix, hordes of fans clamored for more of Marie Kondo's animism when dealing with all their "stuff." Kondo peddles the concept of perfect control over your things instead of letting your things control you. Writers, we can take a page out of Kondo's book.