A few tips from one of your friendly neighborhood story moderators!
So, self-editing is a long and slow process to learn and absorb, and focusing too much on it can often actually hamper our efforts to write fiction. In my experience, it's problematic to spend too much time on editing too early in a story or the story never makes it to the page. However, sometimes, when we are writing short fiction, especially if it is on a deadline or for a contest, it can be useful to have a few tricks in one's back pocket for tightening up the language as-we-go, because there may not be very much time at the end for editing (especially if you're writing for the Writer's Cramp or a similar daily effort!) This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just some of the things that I use while I'm working that I think you might find useful as well.
Some quick things that you can look for right away in your fiction:
"Be" verbs and junk language-- verbs that do nothing but modify (had, was, were, would, etc) are often filler words that waste valuable word count and don't advance your story. There are specific situations where each of these words is necessary, but running a quick search for "had" and "was" will allow you to tighten up your narrative in a jiffy. These words add stiffness to prose. An example, far from the only one, but dynamic enough to get the engine running: try using verbs like so: "he moved" instead of "he was moving" -- even though "moved" is past tense, it can be used to indicate current movement at 2/3 of the word count, and looks cleaner to boot.
Another dialogue tag clutter: Look at your dialogue tags and see if you've been tempted to insert a lot of dry description and adverbs-- remember, your default tags are "said" and "replied," and that neither of these needs to be used every single time. Dialogue with fewer tags rips along at a faster pace and helps to immerse the reader in the story. Another thing where no holistic approach is correct; it's best addressed on a case-by-case scenario, but if your dialogue feels laggy, reread it and see if there's too much non-dialogue in your dialogue.
Give it a once-over for major cliches, worn-out turns of phrase, unintentional repetition of words (my personal nemesis!), and overwrought, nigh-unreadable descriptive passages. Anything that YOU struggle to read as a writer will be inevitably more difficult for your reader to grasp, since the reader isn't able to benefit from the intended meaning in your head.
Last but not least-- when in doubt: simplify. If you think something is too complex to be understood, give yourself the time to reassess and be sure you're putting out the clearest story you can. Smile
Again-- this is just a primer, but these are basic things to work on that shouldn't hamper your style or flow while you work-- keeping you productive and hopefully making your writing even more efficient!
What other fast and easy editing tips do you have for writers who are in a hurry? Any you'd like to share?
Buxom Enigma
"Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader - not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon." -E.L. Doctorow
