Editing a novel
Self-editing, working with an editor, beta readers and getting a manuscript ready to submit.
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Reading your manuscript aloud: what the ear catches and the eye lets through
Reading your manuscript aloud is the oldest editing technique and still one of the best. Why it works, what to listen for, and when your own voice starts lying.
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Working with an editor: tracked changes, roles, and no more versions lost in email
Working with an editor without a folder full of near-identical files. What to agree up front, how tracked changes work, who gets which access, and why it matters.
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Filter words: how they quietly weaken your prose
Saw, felt, thought, noticed, seemed. Filter words insert a narrator between the reader and the scene. What they are, where they come from, when they are the right choice and how to find them in your own manuscript.
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Is my book ready to publish?
Is your book ready to publish? Concrete readiness criteria: the editing stages, what beta readers are for, and the signs a manuscript is not ready yet.
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Beta readers: how to find them and how to use their feedback
A beta reader reads your finished manuscript and gives feedback before it goes to a publisher. Where to find them, what to ask, and how to handle conflicting opinions.
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Passive voice in prose: when it hurts and when it doesn't
Passive voice is not a mistake. When it weakens prose, when it is the best possible choice, how to recognise it in English, and how to decide during editing which sentences to rewrite.
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How to edit a novel before submitting it to a publisher
How to edit a novel step by step. A proven order: from plot structure, through character consistency, to polishing the sentence and proofreading. Plus a common beginner mistake.