From Edie: Discover surprising editing tips that transformed Ane's 14th book—practical lessons to tighten prose, avoid common pitfalls, and elevate your writing.
What I Learned from My Editor: Surprising Fixes to Strengthen Any Manuscript
by Ane Mulligan @AneMulligan
A letter from my new editor was an eye-opener. This was my 14th book being published, but I was with a new publisher. Items surprising me the most were small things, but they made my writing and my story flow better.
Now, I find I avoid some of those problems as I write instead of afterwards, and they're becoming habit—always a good thing.
I’m sure you want to know what got highlighted in the edit, so here's the deal. I used thousands of "the" in my manuscript. What? No one ever dinged me on that before. There were other words I used a lot, words that could be replaced with a better one.
Since I've been through the editing process thirteen times, I knew editors are truly a writer's best friend. So I searched for ways around these words. You obviously can't delete them all. "The" is a perfectly good word. However, there are other ways to say what you need without that particular article. Pronouns for instance, are a good substitute. Her kitchen vs the kitchen.
When my CPs (critique partners) pushed me for more responses from my character—I tend to write too lean—I started adding those details in my second draft before sending it to them. I figure if I go overboard, it's easier to delete than add. Right?
The thing is, I like what I see in my manuscript from all these tips and techniques. And I'm adding to them every day. I follow a few writer blogs besides TWC, and I'm picking up some excellent new tidbits for my toolbox. There are so many out there, but the ones I find the most helpful are:
There are many more, so if you have one for me, do tell! I never want to stop learning and growing as a writer.
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