Editing Simplified

Do whatever makes the story better.

Everything in the story works toward unity of theme
and idea.
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Characters Make Choices that Matter
Unity of Theme
Calvin and Hobbes cartoon
Characters : a six year old (our inner child) and his stuffed
buddy (imagination and conscience)
Setting: the forest represents the natural world
Conflict: which choices to make? Some are dangerous.
Pace: the wagon, gravity and no brakes!
Tension: when will they crash?
Theme: the impact and consequences of choices
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Know your target audience
Word Selection & VOICe
The reader unconsciously knows you could have
chosen any word. Why did you select that
specific word? Is it right for the character who is
speaking or thinking?
Your best friend is smart.
Would intelligent, brainy, a whiz, a genius, savvy,
sharp, or brilliant work better?
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
PACE
You can improve it by:
Simplifying scene or chapter transitions.
Eliminate unneeded or repetitive sentences.
Sentences that are unnecessary should be
removed.
Shorten sentences to imply speed.
Cut repetitive scenes or combine them.
Increase tension!
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Increase TENSION-SUSPENSE
Check timing and pace of story
Missed opportunities
Delay
Pause
Add to conflict, other suspects
Stretch taut the reader’s emotions
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Eliminate Adverbs
Turn two words into one.
The boy ran quickly down the street.
Sped, raced, sprinted?
The girl walked slowly along the sidewalk.
How many words for walk slowly?
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Vary patterns
Mr. Hill came from Nevada to talk and share with us
tips to help us improve our writing. He talked about
where ideas come from. He talked about the
importance of vocabulary. He talked about storytelling
and editing. Then he was done and went home.
All the way from Nevada, Mr. Hill came to share tips
with us to improve our writing. He spoke about where
ideas come from. After that, he showed us the
importance of vocabulary. He discussed storytelling
and editing, then he was done.
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Final Edits
If you have multiple character viewpoints, read them separately for character
unity.
Look for pet phrases- like, so, just, suddenly
Correct spelling and typos. Don’t trust your spell checker!
Grate author. Great? Or grating?
You are two kind.
You meant you are too kind.
She grabbed him by the waste.
You meant she grabbed him by the waist.
I had my hare cut yesterday.
Do you own a rabbit?
He had fists of furry.
It broke the mood. You meant that he had fists of fury.
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Grammar
A messy message gets lost.
Take your creation and organize it,
following the rules, to successfully share your
idea with someone else.
Break the rules only to make a point.
Your early drafts are for you. Your last draft is for
your audience.
Willilam Hill www.fantasyhill.com
Perseverance
Dr. Seuss rejected 43 times.
Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston
Seagull rejected 37 times.
Philo T. Farnsworth took 7 years to create
the Television.
JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit first rejected for a
poor editing.
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
In the End
Open your eyes and mind. Ideas abound.
Follow the recipe.
Make good and colorful word choices.
Show. Don’t tell.
Make characters realistic and relatable.
Edit! Polish until diamond brilliant.
Keep creating and writing. Over and over. . .
William Hill www.fantasyhill.com
More about books & ideas
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