Self Editing Tips and Tricks For January

So, you've finished your first draft. Great. Congratulations. Now the real work begins.
If you're with a publisher you'll be turning in your manuscript for editing. The editor will make notes of changes they want and send it back to you for you to edit and re-submit.

If you're self publishing, then you will need to hire your own editor. I say need, because this is a must. An editor is the most important investment you can make in your writing. Book covers, marketing, branding, all are important, but before you do any of those things you want your book to be the best it can be. I thought I couldn't afford an editor. I didn't know where to even start looking my first time around. Rookie mistake, but I'm telling you this so you don't make the same mistake I did.  Now, I know better. I'm even having my first work of fiction re-edited.

An editor makes you a better writer. I recommend the professionals over at PageCurl Publishing and Promotion. I worked with Patricia, Samantha and Melody on my recent holiday romantic short, I'm currently working with them to polish up my first work of fiction, and edit my current WIP.

That said, there are a few things you can do yourself before handing your manuscript over to your editor, which your editor will also appreciate. Here are some tips I've learned that I hope will come in handy. I write contemporary romance. Not all the tips below may be applicable if you are writing scifi, historical fiction or suspense. Keep that in mind. I will

1. Always spell out the word okay. Don't overuse.
2. Always capitalize God.
3. Avoid the word just. It tends to be a crutch for a lot of writers.
4. Use contractions. Find all the instances of it is, she is, I am, that is, he will, etc. and contract.
5. Use the Find tool to find and replace words too often used as well as contractions.
6. Do not use the Find and Replace all tool. This is tempting, but should be avoided. There are some instances where it is isn't it's, but its.
7. Use first line indent at the beginning of each paragraph. Do not tab or use space bar. Use the tool bar at the top to format your entire document.
8. Use insert page break at the end of the last sentence of each chapter.
9. Numbers under 100 should be spelled out. Exceptions to the rule are for an address or time.
10. Always have a minimum of two or three beta readers read before submitting for final edit to catch those things you are too close to see.

I hope those were helpful. I'll post more again in the future.

Do you have any quick tips you can share for self-editing?

Thanks for reading.

Choosing to Dream, Book 2 of the Sunset Dreams series is coming soon. Stay tuned.

You can find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

5 Tips To Keep Your Writing Consistent

I've been working on the sequel to my debut novel, Sweet Dreams, and in doing so, my outline has become much more complex. I have to keep track of my main characters and my secondary characters, as well as my time line. When writing a sequel, it's important to make absolutely sure you have total recall of the timeline and characters from the first novel.

I am about 2/3 done with my sequel and feeling very good about it. But as I was going to sleep the other night, after an evening of writing, socializing on Facebook and Twitter, and scrolling through pictures on Pinterest, a picture that I pinned on my WIP board for one of my secondary characters came rushing back to mind. I sat up in bed and realized that I had completely forgotten about an important character I introduced in the very beginning of my sequel. Ah schnookies!

There's a reason for the character, he has his own story line that runs parallel to the main story, and I completely forgot about him. I left him behind, not to be heard from again. Oops.

Well, obviously I missed a few important points in my outline, that need to be fixed immediately.  Here are some tips to keep your writing consistent.

1. Outline- It's so important to outline in order to keep your plot organized. It's okay to make revisions as you write, but the outline will keep you on track. If you are a panster, and can't fathom creating an outline before writing, make sure as you write, you create your outline of the plot so far, so you can keep track of the plot and events. That way you can go back and reference what has happened in your story without having to read the whole thing from beginning to end.

2. Cast of Characters- Keep a document or list of all your characters and how they are related to each other. It will help you keep the relationships straight and keep you from forgetting anyone.

3. Keep a Timeline- It's important to know the timeline of when your story takes place, not only for setting, but for the plot. For example, you don't want your characters enjoying a hot day at the beach, when compared to the elapsed time of your story, it should be the middle of winter. This also applies when keeping track of people ages. In real life, I may be able to turn 33 for several years in a row, but your characters will age.

4. Fact Check- Make sure you check your facts. This does not only apply to historical fiction. Is your story set in a real city? Make sure the streets and towns are geographically correct. If you are writing a scene that includes a reference to a real place, time or event, make sure to make notes to go back and fact check during the editing process, so that you don't have your characters walking 50 miles from one place to the other, when you really only wanted them to walk 5.

5. Beta Readers- Make sure you have at least 2-3 beta readers, they will help you search out those inconsistencies and keep your writing on track.

Now I need to follow my own advice, and go reinsert my missing character into the appropriate chapters.

What are your tips to keep your writing consistent? Do you have a tips you can share? I would love to hear them.

Don't forget to attend the Cover Reveal Bash on November 4th on Facebook, for the Writing Wenches Holiday Anthology, Unwrapping Love. My holiday short, Angels in Disguise, is one of the romances featured in this amazing collection.

Jennifer Senhaji
Stalk me online at: www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com