Brian Scott is founder of Book Proposal Writing a free website that teaches you how to write a book proposal. Download your free sample book proposal today. Read his blog for freelance writers at working writersnewsletter
Book editing can be a grueling, boring process. If you are not
used to critiquing your own work, then you may pass over errors
without realizing it. Editing is important to produce quality work.
Learning the basic principles to organize and condense your
manuscript can save your book's reputation -- not to mention your own
as the book author.
Tip 1: Be Concise as Much as Possible
A
common mistake is including unnecessary content in your book without
realizing it. When editing your work, make sure you eliminate
clutter.
Clutter may appear in your work through useless and
repetitive words in the same sentences. For example, this sentence:
"The hasty brisk way that she talks," leaves the impression
that the extra descriptive words add drama, but the words "hasty"
and "brisk" mean the same thing.
Tip 2: Vary
Sentence Structure
Your readers might find your writing style
dull and choppy if you always write your sentences with the main
subject followed by the verb. This brings us to the second principle:
learn to vary the structure of your sentences.
For example,
saying, "Because I ate too much, I gained a lot of weight,"
sounds better than saying, "I ate too much. I gained a lot of
weight." The first phrase not only sounds better and less
monotonous, but it is also easier to understand.
By varying
the length and structure of your sentences, you can achieve a
smoother and more conversational tone, instead of sounding like a
robot. Thus, your readers can relate to your book more and understand
it better.
Tip 3: Use Active Voice
By replacing "to
be" verbs with active verbs, you can change your statement from
a passive voice into an active voice. For example, it's better to
write, "Anna ate the apple, " rather than "The apple
was eaten by Anna." You avoid confusing your readers on who the
"doer" of the action is in your statements.
Using
active voice is an important editing principle. Active voice holds
your readers' interests; unlike passive voice of writing, active
voice does not drag out your point.
Tip 4: Clarity, Cohesion
and Coherence
The three C's in writing, otherwise known as
clarity, cohesion and coherence, are useful editing techniques. For
your book to speak to readers, you must evoke a response so your
readers connect with what you are trying to say. Use clear, connected
and coherent words to achieve this result.
For your work to
become clear, avoid using too much jargon or unnecessary words. As
mentioned previously, keep your book concise and simple so readers
understand your point better.
Make sure sentences and
paragraphs clearly stick together. One trick is to use transitional
words and phrases like, therefore, or, and so. These can show the
relationship between your phrases and drive your point across.
To
achieve coherence, follow basic principles of writing and editing as
the ones mentioned above. Sometimes it's not your fault if readers
don't fully understand your work. However, you can make things easier
by using correct grammar and cohesive sentences.
Editing is
essential to improve the quality of your work. If you are not used to
finding errors on your own, then you may find self-editing too
taxing. As long as you use these basic principles, then you will see
how this process improves your writing style in many ways.