My Tip Monday: Editing #amediting #blogging #Writingtips

Since I am smack dab in the middle of editing 4 books at the same time, I figured a blog post about it, would be just right! So, you officially finished your rough draft! Congratulations! You just finished the fun part of writing a book!

You have the official writer’s “high” going on right now. Nothing can get you down! Your next step into actually publishing your novel is the dreaded word all us authors loathe.

Editing

Unfortunately, I wish editing was as easy as clicking spell check. Here’s a few tips for your editing process.

• Fill in the blanks.

If you’re like me, you do a quick rough draft and put the main story down on paper. When I go through my book again, I fill in scenes that I may have rushed through. There is also times when you need to take something out instead of filling it in.

•  Re-read for story-line issues.

This part of editing isn’t so bad, I will make sure characters are where they should be, or that I didn’t suddenly transform my main guy into a main girl.

Why is he wearing lipstick?

These little issues will slap a reader in the face if you don’t find them. Watch for consistency in your story, make sure your characters all have the same name(watch for spelling), hair color, eye color, or whatever. These can be easy to miss!

• Look for grammar mistakes and sentence flow.

When I go through my book again, I get a bit more tedious with the editing. I read slower for this step. Don’t be afraid to take an entire week on 50 pages. That’s normally how slow I go! If you stumble while reading, fix the sentence, because your reader will stumble too! Make lines smoother than a baby’s butt!

• Read it out loud.

I luckily have a Kindle that reads to me for this stage, but if you don’t have one, read your book out loud. You’d be shocked at how many errors you find!

Good Luck on your editing! Remember, you’re that much closer to publishing your book!

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Natasha House is the author of Grace Alive, a modern day Christian romance novel where Zoe, a pastor’s daughter faces a giant challenge with the topic of courting. If you enjoy Christian romance, with humor, drama, and passion, then pick up your copy here.

Meet Zoe Reed

She is 26, unmarried, and still living with her parents. Working at a lame craft store, she feels like her life has become one giant disappointment.
Waiting for Mr. Right, yet having never been on a date, let alone kissed a man, she wonders if he will ever come.

Then she meets Branson Tate

The handsome man and his three kids stumble into her life, and she finds him to be polar opposite of what her parents have always wanted for her.
But when Zoe’s dad, the pastor of the largest church in Michigan, says God spoke to him who her husband is, she’s faced with a choice.
Is her father hearing God or is she?