Surefire proofreading tips to make your writing sing
Hi and welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies – Ask Nicola.
I get lots of questions about writing life stories for family and friends.
And in this series I aim to pull out some of the queries I receive and give you a peek into how I help writers just like you.
Today’s Ask Nicola answers the following question:
I’ve finished a rough draft of my book. What do I need to focus on when I polish and revise my writing?
Hi there, this is a great question!
First of all, congratulations on finishing your first draft.
How amazing is that!
You have completed the first two (and perhaps hardest) steps of the writing process: planning to write and actually sitting down and doing the writing work.
Next comes the polishing or editing phase and finally publication.
As a long-time sub-editor the polishing stage is my happy place.
Here are the key ideas, in my opinion, you need to let guide you to learn how to copy edit.
CPR: How to copy edit like a writing lifesaver
I find it easy to summarise our subbing mission into the acronym CPR.
This stands for Concise, Precise and Readers.
Let me explain…
Related article –Proofreading tips for revising and editing your writing
Concise: Get to the point
Learning how to copy edit your own work can be tricky.
But we all need to do this in some basic form, even if we intend to pass our manuscript onto a professional for a final read.
Editing by its very nature involves pruning and in extreme cases, what I like to call, word panel beating.
More often than not you will be cutting or rephrasing words you lovingly crafted… ahh the pain!
Don’t feel bad about this.
To communicate well to your readers you need to make your writing clear and coherent.
Therefore you might need to cut 25 per cent of your writing.
Some sections might be cut by 50 per cent or even cut altogether!
Polishing is hard work and can take time.
Be strong and hold the course my writing friends.
Related article –Ask Nicola Q&A: Revising and editing autobiography stories
Precise: Importance of truth
My next tip for learning how to copy edit is to focus on the facts.
Remember you are not writing fiction. Your book is not a novel.
It must be as accurate as you can make it.
Your readers will lose their trust in you as a writer if they spot incorrect facts.
And likewise, your stories must not be misleading or contain glaring omissions.
Double-check and verify as much as you can to ensure you publish a truthful account.
Related article –What a professional print sub-editor knows about editing autobiographies
Readers: Know your audience
Cutting copy for cutting sake is not always a wise thing to do when you are revising your autobiography, memoir, biography or life-story project.
When learning how to copy edit you need to remember why and who you started writing for in the first place.
Always keep your reader in mind as you edit.
They want copy that is informative, interesting and engaging.
If they don’t get this they will put your book down and might not come back!
To keep your reader happy be on the look out for inconsistencies and repetition.
Related article –Writing and editing: 3 things your writing teacher is looking for during a coaching call
Final say: How to copy edit
Editing your book takes time and emotional resilience.
Every writer, even the best of the best, needs to learn how to copy edit their work.
Editing is not a harsh reflection on you as a writer, it is necessary for great communication.
After all, if you tell your story well it will be read and live on for generations.
How good is that!
Happy writing and editing.
Free gift!
Need to restructure your first draft before you learn how to copy edit? My free structure training can help you organise a clear chapter outline. Sign up here or fill in the form below.
Your say
How are you going learning how to copy edit? I always love hearing what works for different people. Drop me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
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This article first appeared on the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com.
