Editing (Part 1) - The Basics

This is only the basics in editing. This can be used for any type of writing such as short stories or essays as it is a very superficial overview to make sure that the writing is up to par. I haven't started to seriously edit my book yet so I will discover more information on that at that time. However, for now these are the standards that I keep when writing.

My automatic writing is rough. It will have a lot of slang, or repeating of words that are easy to catch and fix, but there are other ways to improve my writing as well. This is a list that I have devised over the years after having read many articles and watching many interviews on the subject. I don't know where most of this came from so I sadly can't link anything as it is pretty common and general advice. 

Don't overuse adjectives and adverbs
Instead of saying "walks slowly" say "creeps". There is always a better word that is more precise and conveys the message better.

Avoid writing prose in the passive voice
Instead of saying "is standing" say "stood". It sounds more authoritative. 

Don't use weak qualifiers
Instead of "very happy" say "happy" or "content". Or better yet, follow that show don't tell rule and say "his lips spread wide and his eyes twinkled" or something like that. Weak qualifiers show uncertainty in writing. I tend to write the word "just" quite a bit when I write so I let it happen and when I go back to edit I remove them all. 

Avoid unnecessary words
Don't say something in five words when it can be said it two. 

State things in the positive
Doesn't it not get confusing when I don't not use double negative? Instead of "not happy" say "angry" or "sad". There is no reason to beat around the bush. Say what you mean and get on with it. 

Simple rather than fancy
Readers don't want to have to use a dictionary when reading a book. While a thesaurus can be useful when trying to find that word that is on the tip of your tongue, using it to try to sound more educated will only confuse the reader.

Concrete rather than abstract
Instead of saying "wooden house" say "cabin". It is precise and conjures up a better image in the reader's mind. 

Rearrange the sentence for strength
For this one I often read the sentence aloud and then if it doesn't sound right I mess with the order of words until it does. 

Variety
Unless it is being used to effect, it is best to have varying lengths of sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. If every sentence is the same length it can become tedious because it is the same rhythm the entire time. If you really want you can throw in an exclamation mark too!

Use all five senses
There is more than just sight. Unless your character is deaf then they need to hear the birds singing in the morning. Unless they don't have hands they should be able to feel the texture of things.


Show don't tell
The simplest, yet also the hardest technique, is to allow the reader to come to their own conclusions about things. Instead of "Martha loves flowers" have Martha picking flowers and enjoying their smell, colour, etc. so the reader can discover it themselves.


Unfortunately while I know to do all this, it is difficult for me to execute it all. I seem confident as I list them but I still haven't fully understood how to use them. But hopefully I will have gotten the hang of it by the time I finish my book.

Is there any more advice that I missed? Please comment below with any suggestions.