Writing and editing have a lot of principles that go hand in hand. For me, it is hard to separate them when talking about my experience with both. Even though I come from more of a writerly background, rather than editor-ly, the principles I’m going to share I’ve learned from being edited or being taught to self-edit in my writing classes. Here are four of the biggest lessons I learned: 

Writing gets flabby. 

I am a naturally wordy writer and Write Tight is my favorite book on avoiding word flab.  It taught me to ask myself, “If I took that word out, would it change the meaning of the sentence?” Words like “the” or “that” or “a” are important in sentences…except for when they are not. Peel your eyes for those words (and others!) that lengthen your sentence, but realize you may not need them. If your sentence meaning doesn’t change without it, delete it! The book also teaches to ask if one word can replace multiple without changing the sentence’s meaning. When you put these principles together, you go from a sentence like, “Write Tight is a book that influenced my writing style immensely because it taught me there are words you can get rid of that literally have no sway in the meaning of the sentence” to “Write Tight influenced my writing style by teaching me you can delete words without changing the meaning of the sentence.” At first, cutting out word flab may seem like a sacrifice to voice and style, but ultimately, it strengthens your prose and enhances your voice and style.

Dialogue is about what is left unsaid. 

People NEVER say what they mean. Most communication is implied between the lines. If a character says, “I’m going to kill you,” it isn’t going to have as much weight if the character just said, “You better watch your back.” It’s unusual when someone speaks directly to their meaning. Next time you are in a public place, unobtrusively listen in to the conversations happening around you. Try to pay attention to how much is said outright, versus not. You might be surprised at what you notice.

The road to Hell is paved with adverbs. 

Adverbs (words that describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and sentences) are much weaker than just verbs and sometimes can be considered superfluous or redundant. The easiest adverbs to identify end in -ly, though do note they don’t always appear that way. Take these sentences for example: “‘You better come back here and kiss me like you mean it, Tommy Jones,’ Julia yelled loudly. She gestured angrily at his too quickly retreating back.” By removing the adverbs, it transforms into “‘You better come back here and kiss me like you mean it, Tommy Jones,’ Julia screeched. She shook a white-knuckled fist at his retreating back.” If at any time you find yourself using a ton of adverbs, ask yourself 1) if you took the word out, would the sentence still convey the meaning, and 2) is there is a verb that conveys the same thing but in a stronger manner? Doing this gives sentences and actions punch and weight, as well as paints a picture for your readers.

Show, don’t tell. 

We’ve heard this adage a million times, but it is critical. Readers prefer it when you engage their senses, rather than deliver expository information to them. Using the previous example, “Julia yelled loudly” is much weaker than “Julia screeched.” One is definitely more audible in the head than the other. “She gestured angrily,” changes to “She shook a white-knuckled fist at his retreating back,” and becomes something more concrete that the reader can actually see, rather than a vague stage direction without much substance. Using sensory cues draws the readers deeper into the scene and helps them feel as though they are actually there. 

Conclusion

Once I learned these lessons, I saw my writing improve exponentially. My ability to edit for others skyrocketed as well, but it took a lot of time and practice using them in my own work first. I had to make a cognitive, intentional effort to practice them before the came naturally and it has lead to huge dividends. As you practice these principles for yourselves, you’ll feel the difference, and others will see it in your work.

Aisley Oliphant

Aisley Oliphant is a speculative fiction writer who loves nothing more than a well-written book, a good run, and her husband, of course. She’s a sucker for a good pun, is a self-proclaimed comedian, a Jedi, a Hogwarts alumni, and a Spiderman groupee. Aisley has articles published with Utah Business Magazine and has worked on articles for the mormontemples.org website. This year, she plans to finish her manuscript and prepare it for publication. Catch more blog posts by Aisley at www.aisleyclaire.wordpress.com.