A Few Self-Editing Tips
First in importance in writing fiction is telling the story. Second is absolute clarity. Third is the language. All three need to be integrated in really good writing. Nonfiction should be written like fiction with a good mix of dialogue, narrative and action. Be sure your story actually begins in the right place. It needs to be when something exciting is happening. You can bring in the back-story and other such information in bits and pieces as the story moves on. Is the plot clear and compelling? Always show us the most important scenes rather than telling about them. On the other hand, use narration to bring information to the reader that’s necessary for him/her to know, but not exciting enough for a scene. Be sure that events are in the right order and the scene builds toward a satisfying climatic payoff. Editors and publishing houses have preferences for things like ellipses and dashes, and other punctuation. This is what I prefer: The less punctuation the better. Often ...