Self-Editing Books

stace001 · Apr 26, 2005

I have recently sacked (well, kinda. She wasn't being paid for it) my "Editor". I got sick and tired of being told my writing sucks (i think it could use some work, but no-one on this site has ever said any of my novels 'suck') so I broke off our volatile 'relationship'. she seemed to think a novel should be a masterpiece after the first draft, but i like it to be a WIP, developing over time and with each draft.

Anyway, I figured, rather than put up being trodden all over, and infringe on all the good, kind (and extremely busy) people on this site, I'd do it myself. Does anyone know of any fabulous books on Self-Editing? I need any and all help i can find, so anyone with suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate it.

mistri · Apr 26, 2005

Sounds like an obvious title, but I found Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King quite useful.

I'm sure other suggestions will appear on here shortly. Personally, I've found the best way was sort of learning as I go (by lots of reading, mostly).

alaskamatt17 · Apr 26, 2005

http://www.hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/one-pass-revision.html

This website is much better than any book I've found. It tells the best method I've ever heard of for self-editing.

firehorse · Apr 26, 2005

mistri said:
Sounds like an obvious title, but I found Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King quite useful.

Ditto. Concise and readable, and magically, if you follow their suggestions, your work improves dramatically (okay, well, mine does

)

Susan Gable · Apr 26, 2005

mistri said:
Sounds like an obvious title, but I found Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King quite useful.

Absolutely! This book is WONDERFUL! I recommend it all the time, and every now and again, I reread it myself. If you only get one book on craft basics (i.e. show vs. tell, POV, etc.) this is the one!

(And yes, I really mean all those exclamation points. <G>)

Susan G.

wurdwise · Apr 26, 2005

Alaskamatt17, thank you so much for that link! That's my kind of editing, you have just made my day!

stace001 · Apr 26, 2005

Oh Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Thanks to you all!!! Those are exactly the kinds of things i've been looking for. It was EXTREMELY daunting go out on my own as far as the editing goes (the person i used had a very good grasp on the english language, in all its aspects) so this will help tremendously. Thanks again.

Renee · Apr 26, 2005

Stacie,

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm in the process of editing my book as well, so the comments here are giving me ideas of what I can/should do.

Good luck with the editing, to me that is harder than writing the book and developing the entire story. Let me know if you find some sure fire editing cure..

..I could use it.

Best wishes,
Renee

stace001 · Apr 26, 2005

Renee,

I'll keep you posted. you're right, editing is the hardest part. getting the story on paper is easy compared to making it interesting enough for people to want to read. We could all use as much help as we can. good luck to you too.

Kasey Mackenzie · Apr 27, 2005

I recommend taking a look at most of Holly Lisle's other articles on her website. I found a majority of them quite helpful, whether in my own writing or just as a general guideline that helped me feel more confident about the issues I experience myself.

maestrowork · Apr 27, 2005

Get Sol Stein's book.

Marcusthefish · Apr 27, 2005

maestrowork said:
Get Sol Stein's book.

I'll second both of Sol Stein's writing books: Stein on Writing and How to Grow a Novel.

If you're looking for an absurdly complete guide to improving your work, dig up a copy of Revising Fiction: A Handbook for Writers by David Madden.

MTF

stace001 · Apr 28, 2005

Thanks to all. I'll look into all your ideas. You guys are the best. :Thumbs:

Self-Editing Books

stace001

Look into my eyes

mistri

Sneezy Member

alaskamatt17

firehorse

Living the Dream

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

wurdwise

stace001

Look into my eyes

Renee

stace001

Look into my eyes

Kasey Mackenzie

One Hit Wonder?

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Marcusthefish

stace001

Look into my eyes