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Writing Tips

Editing Checklist

3/5/2018

 
by Jude Aquilina
  •  Is your story special/original/unusual?
  • Is your meaning/message clear?
  • What shape is the story? Are the sections in the best order for impact?
  • Are the sentence lengths appropriate – a mixture of short and long sentences often works well.
  • Is the punctuation consistent? [less is more these days]
  • Are there words or lines which could be eliminated without affecting the story?
  • Are there accidental repetitions?
  • Are the voice and tone consistent and authentic?
  • Is every word of dialogue necessary?
  • Is there enough dialogue to break up long passages of text?
  • Have you used figurative language?
  • Have you adequately described your characters and setting?
  • Do you need paragraph breaks to let the reader absorb before reading on?
  • Is the font plain and easy to read [Times New Roman or Palatino are good]?
  • Have you used double or 1.5 line spacing?
  • Is your name on the piece of writing?
  • Are there childish words [like ‘yummy’] in an otherwise ‘adult’ story?
  • Is your title memorable/catchy/specific?  [Titles such as ‘Love’, ‘Summer’ & ‘Flowers’ are not, nor is ‘Untitled’ – give your babies decent names!]
  • Do the first lines make the reader want to read on?
  • Have you read the story (especially the dialogue) aloud and listened for problems with sound, pronunciation or rhythm?
  • Have you left time between edits? [I never send new work to publishers, as I always find ways of improving it, plus like to seek feedback from a friend]
  • Have you kept all drafts?  You may need to refer back to earlier drafts. [plastic sleeves are a wonderful invention]
  • Have you used a Thesaurus to enrich the vocabulary?
  • Have you researched any factual parts to ensure they’re correct?
  • Have you checked for clichés?
  • Are there feeble words, which can be replaced or omitted? [Words such as ‘very’ ‘really’ ‘nice’ ‘sad’ ‘fun’]
  • Have you received feedback from another writer or trusted reader?
  • Are you sure your story isn’t insulting, racist, ageist, slanderous?
  • Is the ending satisfying/suitable- or give does it give a sense of ‘ending’?
  • Have you used your five senses?
  • Have you used too many speech tags?
  • Are there too many adverbs ‘showing and not telling’?
  • Have you given the piece a major prune?
  • Have you tried a different tense?
  • Have you tried a different point of view?
  • Does the language suit the time, place and character?
  • Are there unanswered questions or parts that need explaining?
 
And don’t forget the importance of punctuation …
 
A teacher asks his students to punctuate this sentence:
"Woman without her man is nothing." The men all write, "Woman, without her man, is nothing." The women all write, "Woman! Without her, man is nothing!"
 
If you feel like a punctuation challenge, try punctuating this sentence:
James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher   (11 x had)
The answer:
James, while John had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had a better effect on the teacher

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  • Home
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    • Member Area
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  • Events
    • HOME Launch
    • Langhorne Creek Writing Festival
    • THIN AIR - Arts & Words
  • Resources
    • Writing Tips
    • Member showcase
    • Listen, read, watch
    • Other Writing Groups
  • Contact
  • Members Profile
  • Keith MacNider Poetry Competition