5 Common Editing Tips You Really Shouldn't Follow by Desiree Villena

5 Common Editing Tips You Really Shouldn't Follow

by Desiree Villena

”There are three rules for the writing of a novel," said W. Somerset Maughm. “Unfortunately no one knows what they are" — a sentiment that is equally apt when applied to editing, or any other part of the writing process.

 

Writing and editing rules are generally offered with the best of intentions: those who have written and refined a novel will naturally wish to share some helpful practices they picked up along the way. While intended to smoothen the path for writers, such rules can just as easily stifle the creative process, arbitrarily imposing standards of a bygone era of literature.

 

In this post, I’m breaking down five editing tips that I’ve come to see more as suggestions as opposed to hard rules. When the story calls for it, I have no problem bending — or even breaking — them.

1. Don’t edit as you go

The reason this editing tip is so hallowed is simple: it’s meant to help writers achieve the elusive goal of “The End.” The idea is that if aspiring authors are too preoccupied with getting everything ‘right’ on the first draft, they’ll simply never finish. The notion that multitasking pulls focus away from the art of creation is shared by many, including John Steinbeck, who said: “Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down.”

 

For writers working on their first novel, we’re inclined to agree. Imagine you’re thrown into the deep end of the pool during your first swimming lesson. You can worry about your stroke once you’re back on dry land — the only way to avoid a watery demise is to keep treading, and to worry about technique after you’ve nailed staying above the surface. Writing books is a skill like any other — you need to do it before you get good at it. Stopping every two pages to adjust your prose might just end in a writerly demise.

 

Also, if you’re working on a short story, you may be better off getting the whole thing on paper first, and then editing later. As Shaelin Bishop puts it, “with short stories, you’re only assembling four or five pieces, so just try and get them together and then worry about editing after.”

 

Here’s where we diverge from this editing tip: if you’re already a seasoned writer, and you feel inclined to flit between drafting and editing, go for it! Many authors feel comfortable switching back and forth and, in fact, find it hard to keep writing if a certain scene doesn’t sit quite right. If you’ve already practiced the skill of completing a first draft, and editing-as-you-go works for you, then do it. You might find it reassuring to know your story is on the right path, saving yourself from circling back and putting things right later.

2. Don’t end a sentence with a preposition

“Don’t end a sentence with a preposition” is a grammar rule with supposed origins in the 17th century. It’s believed the rule stemmed from the desire for English to closely reflect Latin, a language which expressly forbids terminal prepositions. It's a practice that will also give many editors (and literary agents!) an absolute conniption.

 

Here’s a sentence that follows the preposition rule: About what is your novel?

 

And here’s the same sentence, breaking the preposition rule: What is your novel about?

 

While the first version is ‘formally correct,’ and may be appropriate in research papers or academic texts, it would likely be incredibly distracting to readers if peppered throughout your novel, as it’s just not how people talk in casual conversation.

 

So if you’re referring to style guides that caution against breaking prepositions while editing your work, feel free to ignore it — or run the risk of sounding slightly like Yoda, you will.

3. Show, don’t tell

Often thought of as the golden rule of writing, “show, don’t tell” encourages writers to provide their readers with an immersive experience by relating their story through sensory details, behaviours, and actions — as opposed to exposition.

 

Thus, as you begin the process of revising your novel, one of your steps might be to keep an eye out for any instancing of “telling” so that you can replace it with “showing.” But as the old saying goes, rules are so often meant to be broken, and this is one writing/editing tip we’re encouraging you to take with a grain of salt.

 

For instance, beginning your story in media res (or ‘in the middle of action’) is a great way of engaging readers right off the bat. Consider the opening lines of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You: “Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet.” Right away, readers are told about the mystery at the crux of this novel. Ng sets the stage and instantly pulls readers into the world of her novel. To show readers that, unbeknownst to her family, Lydia is dead, would be to prolong the action of the novel — and completely ruin the mystery.

 

While I encourage sci-fi and fantasy authors to worldbuild through sensory details and action (i.e. showing), laying the groundwork for fantasy settings can quickly become dense without a little telling. Consider the following example from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams — a master of engaging ‘telling.’

 

“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.”

 

Thank goodness Adams’ editor didn’t make him stick to the golden rule while polishing his novel!

4. Don’t use adverbs

This is another “rule of prose” authors may be cautioned to follow while revising their work. “Stay away from adverbs” is an addendum to the “show, don’t tell” rule, as adverbs are assumed to be crutches that prop up weak, non-descriptive verbs. In other words, an adverb is a way of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing.’

 

Indeed, prose riddled with adverbs can quickly become tiresome, especially paired with dialogue tags.

 

“‘Go away!’ she shouted urgently” does no better a job of conveying emotion than simply, “Go away!” she shouted.” Readers are smart enough to pick up on the implied urgency of someone shouting.

 

However, this doesn’t mean you should scour your manuscript to eliminate each and every word ending in -ly. Adverbs can concisely describe the relativity of one object or character to another: “Ben nearly caught the train.” “The closely spaced homes meant for little privacy from your neighbors.”

 

Alternatively, as with #3, an adverb here and there might help you get into the meat of a tale — especially if you’re working with a limited word count, as with short stories.

 

“Jo seemed friendly enough, but, nonetheless, Beth remained weary.” This is a succinct way to lay the groundwork of Jo and Beth’s relationship in a short story that’s ultimately about the reconciliation of the two characters.

5. Always take a long break between writing and editing

Writers are often urged to put some time between writing and editing a piece. This is so they can ‘detach’ slightly from the piece, and approach the editing process with a clear, objective mind. And, I concede, this is often very sound advice.

 

However, like so much writing or editing advice, the ‘right’ rules are ultimately the ones that prove most fruitful to you. When I’ve just finished a first draft, I have a strong sense of what I want the story to be. After a break, my “vision” for the story sometimes becomes diluted, which makes the task of editing tougher as I have a weaker sense of narrative direction.

 

I would encourage writers to play around with the length of their breaks. If you feel creative fatigue after finishing a project, take a breather and let yourself recharge before diving back into editing — which is no small undertaking itself! Alternatively, if you’re itching to revisit scenes while they’re still fresh in your mind, dive in and save the breaks for later!

 

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Desiree Villena is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world's best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Desiree enjoys writing short stories and reading everything from cosmic horror to contemporary romance.

 

 

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