Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS - In the writing reference book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King, the editing-authors teach the would-be writer to apply editing techniques they developed. There are important distinctions in writing reference, for example: 1. Writing craft and 2. Fiction mechanics. My favorite book on the topic of craft is Book in a Month; my favorite book on the topic of mechanics is Self-Editing. Self-Editing has a focus on fiction mechanics: how to handle dialogue, point of view, exposition, character introduction, etc. The authors take examples of bad dialogue or second-hand reporting right out of the classics and show how to rectify them. There are plenty of examples, checklists and exercises at the end of each chapter and a comprehensive test covering all the self-editing principles. With the rise of self-publishing and the decline of brick and mortar book sellers- editors, agents and publishers expect that submissions are pre-edited. Your challenge as a writer is to take Self-Editing as far as you can yourself, in the process strengthening your skills as a writer.
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NOTE - In my next blog post (http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/), I will share a free PDF download, for a condensed checklist I created, based on the principles outlined in Self-Editing.


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