5 Self-editing Tips & Tricks for Writers

Professional manuscript editing is a pricey affair. Not everyone can afford it, especially those writers who toil at their laptops all night because they have to maintain their day jobs for that sustained livelihood. In such a scenario, spending thousands of dollars is just not possible.

The mathematics of editorial services is actually quite simple. Assuming your manuscript boasts 60,000 words, the editing cost would most probably hover in the range of $900 to $4200 depending on the type of package you choose. These figures are not set in stone. As a writer you may end up paying a little less or more.

The Editorial Service Packages –

Developmental Editing – 7¢ per word which amounts to $4,200.
Basic Copyediting – 2.5¢ per word, which translates into $1,500.
Proofreading – 1.5¢ per word or $900.

So, what is the alternative to professional editing? The answer is self-editing.

The following tips and tricks will allow you to polish your manuscript and turn it into a “submission quality” literary work. It simply means that your unpublished work will have minimal faults in terms of typos, grammar and syntax errors. However, lexical self-tweaking has its own set of flaws. It does not improve the flow, timbre of literature, cohesiveness or rectify structural imperfection/s.

Here are the five tips and tricks to edit your manuscript in a professional way.

Digital / Soft Copy Versus Hard Copy –

Human brain often tricks our mind by auto filling missing words such as “and” “it” “the” or ignoring/adjusting typos mentally. Word processors will underline incorrect spellings but most of the time it will not warn you about structural inconsistency. This often happens while editing the manuscript digitally / on screen. However, hard copy editing traps these errors / bugs with uncanny precision. You may have to repeat this process a number of times to clean up the manuscript in its entirety.

Backward Editing –

This is a digital editing tip, and it works for me. What you need to do is start from the last chapter. By exploiting this technique you are actually confusing the brain which has already embedded your manuscript in a certain order, flow. By breaking its rhythm, the chances of catching typos ( missed by word processor ), misplaced or omitted words increase manifold.

Complementing Fonts & Formatting –

Another digital editing tip! As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, fonts which complement your genre enhances editing quality to a large extent. It also infuses a sense of joy and therefore makes this grueling task a little more gratifying. Another aspect which can make a big difference is the distance between the two lines. Simply setup your manuscript to double spacing and voila you have a document which is easy on eyes and also improves reading quality.

Timings –

Edit when you are in the mood, in that unique orbit, where everything appears banal and in need of criticism. I know some writers prefer a definite hour of the day or night to edit, but it also means that your mind is not conditioned to revolt. It will accept the written words on their face value. To edit in the true sense you should be in a highly critical mood / mode. Coffee induced brain also helps. Coffee contains caffeine which boosts your ability to focus, and also improves mental alertness. It creates a state of mind which is highly reactive to errors. Try it! I am sure you will discover faults from even your faultless manuscript.

Forced Hiatus –

A long break can freshen your mind vis-à-vis your manuscript. A forced hiatus also means that your subconscious has most probably forgotten the flow and the rhythm of your story, which is actually a perfect scenario to edit a literary work. In the meanwhile, read genres which are in conflict with your own. This helps you come out of your comfort zone and look at the manuscript from a different point of view, a different perspective and thereby trap a bouquet of “new found” errors.

Summation –

There is no substitute for professional editing. However, aspiring writers can make sure that their literary opus is free from the usual maladies by exploiting the above mentioned self-editing tips / ideas.