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    Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
    Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
    Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
    Ebook46 pages38 minutes

    Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

    By Jill Kelly

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    About this ebook

    Written by a professional editor with 20 years experience, this guide to self-editing offers writers of novels and short stories multiple ways to improve their writing and produce cleaner manuscripts to pitch to agents and editors or to self-publish. Includes 10 rules for avoiding errors in punctuation and syntax and creating clearer sentences and better description and dialog. Offers ideas for knowing when your book is really done and how to save money if you decide to hire a professional editor before pitching or publishing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJill Kelly
    Release dateNov 3, 2014
    ISBN9781311234902
    Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
    Author

    Jill Kelly

    I began writing in 2002 with a memoir that was a finalist for the prestigious Oregon Book Award. Since then I've been writing most days in the morning for an hour or so and am currently working on book #10. It's just so fun. I'm a big reader of mysteries and thrillers and have written three of my own. I also enjoy exploring the relationships between men and women, and mothers and daughters. I'm a former college professor of literature and writing who's been a freelance editor for the last 25 years. I am also a pastel and acrylic painter and I make art deco needlepoint pillows (www.jillkellycreative.com). I live in Portland, Oregon, with my four cats who do all the chores so I can be creative 24/7.

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      Book preview

      Self-Editing for Fiction Writers - Jill Kelly

      Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

      By

      Jill Kelly, PhD

      Smashwords Edition

      Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

      Copyright © 2014 by Jill Beverly Kelly, PhD

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, mechanical, or digital, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the express written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      Content

      A Word from the Author

      Some Basic Advice about Self-Editing

      10 Rules for Self-Editing Fiction

      Rule #1: Don’t edit while you are drafting

      Rule #2: Balance show and tell

      Rule #3: Review your dialog

      Rule #4: Keep a light and nimble hand on description

      Rule #5: Make conscious decisions about point of view

      Rule #6: Learn your way around standard punctuation

      Rule #7: Keep subjects and verbs close together in sentences

      Rule #8: Make sure all pronoun references are crystal clear to the reader (unless you consciously want them to be confused)

      Rule #9: Avoid passive voice

      Rule #10 Write in a style that fits your story

      Some Additional Suggestions

      Tools for Keeping Track

      Moving Your Manuscript to Completion

      The Is-My-Book-Ready Worksheet

      Why Hire a Professional Editor?

      Ways to Make the Best Use of the Money You Spend with an Editor

      Helpful Resources

      Basic Rules of Punctuation

      About the Author

      A Word from the Author

      For the last 20 years, I’ve been editing fiction manuscripts. Before that I was a college professor of literature. And I’ve always been an avid reader. When I changed careers in 1994, I wanted to help writers get better work out into the world, work they could be proud of, work I would enjoy reading.

      Unlike some of my editing colleagues, I don’t see myself as a book doctor or as a fixer. My job is to empower writers, whether they’re writing only one book or whether they’re making a career of it. While hiring a professional editor is always a good idea, I know some people can’t afford to buy enough editing hours for a deep and thorough edit of their work. Others are confirmed do-it-yourselfers. Perhaps most importantly, many of my clients want to be better writers. Self-editing can help take them there.

      This brief guide covers the most common errors that I encounter in editing fiction. Of course, a writer can make hundreds of grammatical and punctuation errors. There are equally hundreds of stylistic issues that a professional editor can help you address. But you can learn to eliminate these common errors yourself and thus have a

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