Self-Editing Checklist: Intro and Some Ground Rules

Does the word edit make you shudder like a mom with a pet snake on the loose? Or does the process of moving words around excite you?

It seems like most writers fall into one of two camps: We're either creators or we're editors.

I'll admit I've got a little bit of both in me. But when I'm creating, I usually have to smack my internal editor back into hiding. It's always itching to come out and spruce up the drivel I've created.

Like any good writer, I started out my first self-editing venture using the awesome book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. I opened it up and went to the end of each chapter, using the questions to guide me through my edits.

The problem with this approach was that I kept learning new things on blogs, in books, and in classes that I wanted to add to the list. My solution? Create my own self-editing checklist. Over the next several posts, I'll share with you my 4-page checklist, piece by piece.
First, a couple ground rules.

1) This checklist gets down to the nitty-gritty details of your manuscript. Before you apply these points, I suggest you give your work a read-through and make sure you've hammered as much of your plot and characterization as possible.

2) I don't claim to be the originator of the content I'll be sharing with you. I want to give credit where credit is due. And I'll also urge you to follow up on the resources I share to get the full reasoning behind the points I mention. In fact, I'll purposely keep some things more generic for copyrighted materials so I don't get sued. :) There are some amazing teachers out there who can provide more a-ha moments than I can, and they deserve the money behind their price tags.

With all that said, here's your homework for the next two weeks. What? Did I just say homework? Okay, okay. It's homework if you choose to accept it.

If you have a completed draft that needs self-editing, read through it with an eye solely for the story. Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, make sure you're working with a story that doesn't require complete rewrites. Of course, sometimes self-editing reveals an issue that requires rewrites...That's okay. But our goal is to work with a solid story that's ready for a micro edit.

Got it? Okay. Go!

Where do you put yourself on the creator/editor spectrum? How do you currently approach the self-editing process?

Come back in two weeks for the first official piece of the self-editing checklist!

*Camp photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

**Checklist photo by Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pepper Basham - Words Seasoned With Salt :-)

Well, I have the first post, of the first week, of a brand new blog – so, no pressure, right? (Let me run to the mirror and see if I can get my eye to stop twitching). Wait, I have an even better idea! Chocolate!

Good morning, and welcome to the first week of The Writers Alley. Thanks for stopping by. To calm my nerves and for your cyber enjoyment, I’ve provided a fruit platter with dipping chocolate in the center. Yum. Donuts too. I’m feeling better already.

My name is Pepper Basham and I like to talk. Actually, I come from a long line of Appalachian ‘storytellers’ who spill generation after generation of legend and fact along through the years. So, to be perfectly honest, I got the ‘talkiness’ quite naturally :-)

So, a bit of bio?

I’m a pastor’s wife, mom of five, speech-language pathologist, and university instructor. Yes, this sounds like a lot, and it is – but God has given me just a touch of A.D.D., a relaxed personality (which helps when I look at the state of my house) and the ability to go without much sleep. I’m a native of southwestern Virginia in the heart of Blue Ridge Mountains, and now live with my family in northeastern Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. I AM a mountain-girl to the core.

I am the mom of three boys and two girls. My oldest is twelve and my youngest is three, and they are great founts of inspiration to me in my writing. I have loads of opportunities to take big biblical principles and try to break them down into understandable concepts - which I practice on unsuspecting children in Sunday School and Children's church ;-)

My special interests as a speech-language pathologist are kids & adults on the Autism Spectrum. I have the plans to write a hero with Asperger syndrome someday – I think they’d make great heroes because they are so honest and loyal to the people they love.
Tangent – sorry.

Now, as for writing?

I’m a panster with lots of ‘planning’ elements involved. (Thus the 'flying by the seat of my pants" picture)

I’m also a genre hopper.

What do those things mean?

Well, sometimes I’ll start right into a story because an idea or character pops into my head and demands his/her freedom, so to appease him/her I’ll just start writing and see where the story goes.

Other times, I’ll get the idea for a story, chart out a sketchy outline, and go from there. I actually enjoy the process of rewriting, which works out well for my writing style. I write the entire book with a few edits here and there, and then begin the really tough work of rewriting.

It’s really all a God-thing. He sets up the creativity and inspiration, then blends them with the perfect story-making moment. A story, I hope will show His grace through the everyday lives of regular (and sometimes fantasy) people.

I have a bad habit of indecisiveness, which is evident by my recent blog post regarding which picture to choose for my new business cards. It was fun. You can check out the discussion at my blog, Words Seasoned With Salt – http://www.pepperbasham.wordpress.com/

Because of this indecisiveness/distractibility, I tend to genre hop (and ramble). I really enjoy writing a variety of books. If you were to sift through the documents of my computer right now, you’d find:

Three contemporary romantic comedies

One historical romance

Two young adult historicals

A young adult fantasy

Three picture books

Several songs & poems – complete with piano music.

I’ve taken the Novel Writing Workshop through Writer’s Digest and just completed The Writers Guild’s Journeyman Course a year ago. I also started entering contests for the first time last May and have garnered a few awards and A LOT of helpful critiques. The experience has toughened me up a bit and taught me a lot more about writing.

I’m blessed to have an agent representing me and teaching me various aspects of marketing and promotion. It’s been a steep learning curve, but an overall good experience. We met at the wonderful Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in 2007.

The main goal of my writing is the main goal of my living: Glorifying God. If my writing can show others the beauty of God’s grace and the freedom of forgiveness, then I’m pleased – and if people can laugh along the way, then all the better.

Anyway, I hope to bring humor, tips on characterization, devotional moments, storytelling, and info on the craft of writing (as I learn it).

So, a question for you guys:

Are you a Panster? Plotter? Or planner?
Or a healthy mix of a few :-)
Blessings,

Pepper D. Basham

Inspirational Fiction Writer
“Stories of hope and healing, peppered with grace and a dash of humor.”
Webpage – Pepper’s Life Sprinkled With Fiction: http://www.pepperbasham.com/
Blog – Words Seasoned With Salt: http://www.pepperbasham.wordpress.com/
Group Blog – The Writers Alley: http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/