Self-editing is that important step each writer must take before handing over a manuscript to the beta reader or editor. It is a daunting prospect, especially after having finally finished the thing! But, did you know that you can give yourself a leg-up before you even begin writing?
Polish your synopsis first
Okay, pantsers, I’m afraid this one is not for you. But for those who plot (or are plot-curious) did you know the synopsis is an extremely valuable self-editing tool? While it took me a while to figure this one out, it has saved me so much time. Preparing a detailed synopsis can iron out a lot of problems before you start labouring away at your novel. When I say “detailed”, I mean a blow by blow, scene by scene piece that can come out at 10-15 pages. (If I were writing a screenplay, I’d call it a treatment rather than a synopsis.)
Structural problems and plot holes become obvious, and you can fix them in the synopsis so they don’t require a bunch of rewriting. I get my agent or editor to sign off on my synopsis before I write a word. It’s a time-saving device, and a compulsory part of my self-editing process. (I note that the synopsis is not cemented in place forever. It can evolve as your write—mine always does to some degree.)
When you’ve typed “The End”
Before I decided to go with the synopsis-first style of writing, I used a technique for rewriting that I learned from one of my UCLA tutors—the “twelve pass” process. It is time-consuming, but it’s thorough, and it is pantser-friendly. Basically, each “pass” or read-through focusses on one particular aspect. You might like to print out a new copy after each pass, or just “Save As” into new documents. But I find it is best to print out the manuscript because you will notice issues better than just on the screen. Here are the passes, in order:
- First read though. Go through and read the whole thing. Put down that pen, this is literally just a read through.
- Gut check. Read it again and highlight everything that doesn’t work for you. Anything that you don’t like or gives you trouble. Don’t try to edit it, just highlight it. Go with your gut—if it doesn’t feel right, highlight it. Set that version aside. You’ll need it later.
- Structure – A story. I’ve talked about the “A” story in a previous post, which you can find here. This pass is for the structure of the plot. If you’re writing a romance, it’s the arc of the romance from meet cute to happily ever after. For crime or mystery, it will be from the crime to finding out whodunit. Other genres will have their own plot arcs that are the main or “A” story. The aim of this pass is to ensure that the “A” story hits all of the structural points, whether you’re using a 7 point structure, 10 point structure, or whatever structure you need to use.
- Structure – B story. This pass is for the secondary plot or “central emotional relationship”. Again, check that this story hits each of the structural points so there is a sensible story arc.
- Structure – C story etc. Repeating above for the C story, which is usually the character arc of the protagonist or hero. Add any other subplots if you need to with additional passes.
- Showing not telling. Go scene by scene and see where you can show something happening contemporaneously rather than a character telling another character what’s happened. Make those changes.
- Take out superfluity in each scene. Find where something happens dramatically in the scene and delete everything else before that. Then find out when the point of the scene is made, and delete everything after that. (Especially important when you need to cut the word count).
- Check for banal dialogue. Cut out fillers like greetings, farewells, “how are you”, and so on. Take out dialogue that is only there for the sake of reality. See if there are more interesting ways to say things. This tightens the scenes and makes them more dramatic and interesting.
- Plot dialogue vs character dialogue. You always want character dialogue. By this, I mean revealing character through dialogue, rather than simply using dialogue to further a plot point. This helps the reader learn more about the characters while still making the plot point.
- Reveal the protagonist to the reader. If you can give your protagonist a memorable line, or action, that reveals their character, you’ll create a moment that the reader will remember. There’s usually a point in the novel where a bunch of Amazon readers are all highlighting that line. That’s what I’m talking about.
- Compare with the gut check. Ensure that everything that you highlighted has been addressed in the latest draft. If it’s not, address it.
- Spelling and Grammar. This is the final pass. A lot of people use grammar programs like Grammarly or ProWriting Aid. Personally, I do not because I just don’t like what it does to my writing. But I do use the Microsoft spell checker. Whatever you use, try and ensure that the spelling and grammar is perfect.
It’s important to do these in order or you’ll waste your own time. For example, if you do the spelling and grammar first, you’ve wasted a pass because you’ll be changing things in other passes that will then need their own spelling/grammar pass. Once you’ve done all these passes, you’re probably just about ready to hand your manuscript over to the next person in the process, whether that’s a beta reader or your editor.
Optional passes
These days, I do an additional pass where I’m self-editing for a few specifics that the editor has picked up in earlier books that they shouldn’t have to pick up this time. Your list will be different depending upon your strengths and weaknesses, but hopefully you will stop your editor from having to repeat themselves in future manuscripts. Here are a few of mine:
- sensorial details – ensure there are enough in every scene
- action-reaction – ensure the reaction happens after the action
- transitions – check the time jumps make sense
- verb check – exchange passive for active verbs
- similes – replace feelings and emotions with original similes
As you can see from that extensive process, it’s a lot quicker and easier to fix structure in a 10 page synopsis than a 200+ page novel! That’s why I recommend the synopsis-first technique if possible. Now that I do that, I can skip a bunch of passes, including structural editing.
However, I appreciate that a lot of writers cannot write that way, which is why I’ve included the long list. Whether you’re a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in between, hopefully a few of these techniques will help you with your self-editing. Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments below, or on X.