Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print

Renni Browne · Dave King

Jun 2010 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.

In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.

Ratings and reviews

The author describes the fine points of the editing process amid cartoons, checklists and exercises in twelve chapters and two appendices. Finish the draft before doing the editing. In addition to a style, develop a strong literary voice evinced through a character. Improve sophistication by eliminating ineffective aspects like unnecessary phrases and adverbs, figures of speech, short sentences, extra punctuation, explicit sex, or profanity. Instead of repetition, either pick the strongest, or vary the chapter, stylistic effect, villains, passages, paragraphs or words. A simple way to reinforce tension is to add rhythm by varying white space, paragraph sizes or length of dialog. Add actions around dialog that fit the rhythm and illustrate the characters. Take the reader into the character’s mind through Interior dialog. It can be first person for intimacy, or third for distance. Italics should remain brief. Add the sound of a character’s voice, e.g. realism, contractions, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, monosyllabic words, and misdirection. Read it aloud. Follow the mechanics of good dialog to hold the reader’s attention. Proportions are significant for the viewpoint character’s descriptions, locations, tangents and favorite topics. Convey emotion through point of view and narrative distance from single or multiple heads. Allow readers to form their own conclusions about characters from exposition, dialog and interior monologue. RUE, or resist the urge to explain, by showing or demonstrating emotion through dialog. Use narrative summary to pace the scenes.

One of the most useful books I've read about writing. Strunk & White for the modern day. Highly recommended.

eye opener

About the author

Renni Browne, once senior editor for William Morrow and other companies, left mainstream publishing in 1980 to found The Editorial Department, a national book-editing company.

Dave King is a contributing editor at Writer's Digest. He also works as an independent editor in his home in rural Ashfield, Massachusetts.