This weekend I went to my monthly RWA meeting and had the privilege of hearing author Judi McCoy talk about self-editing. (Check out her Dogwalker Mystery series here.) Some of the tips we've already talked about on here, but the two that stood out for me were the following:
1. Print out your manuscript to edit because you will miss things trying to edit on the computer
2. Read your manuscript out loud or, even better, have a friend read it out loud to you.
I've done the first one at times, but honestly do most of my editing on the computer because I'm cheap (want to save ink and paper). But perhaps, I need to take this advice. I definitely do find things in printed copies that I passed over time and time again on the electronic file.
The second one I've never done. Occasionally, if I'm struggling with a paragraph or scene, I'll read some of it aloud. But I've never read the whole manuscript that way. I could see how that would be extremely helpful because sometimes things just don't roll off the tongue and you can't catch it until you read it aloud. Also, this is a great way to check the flow and naturalness of your dialogue.
So I think I'll try both of these when I finish my current WIP and see if it's helpful.
Now, a few quick things. If you missed the Bad Boy Blogfest yesterday, you can check out my entry from Wanderlust here. I'd love your opinion. That page also as the link back to Tina Lynn's site to find all the entries for the fest. They were super fun to read, so check them out. :)
Also, the Beta Club queue has shortened to a month wait. The next opening is July 27th. So if you were considering sending something in, now would be a great time. For details, you can click on the Free Critiques button at the top of this page. :)
Alright, so what are some of your self-editing tips? Do you print out your manuscript or edit it all on the computer? Do you read it out loud?
