Self-Editing Techniques

CMS, APA, AP, AMA, MLA — choosing the right style manual depends entirely on what you’re writing and who you’re writing it for. Here’s how to find yours.

More words don't mean more meaning. This practical editing guide shows you three types of wordiness to hunt down in any draft—and how to decide whether to cut, condense, or keep.

Manuscript evaluation, developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, proofreading—they're not interchangeable. Here's exactly what each type of editing covers, what you'll receive, and when you need it.

Everyone says kill your adverbs—but that's lazy advice. This 3-step system shows you exactly which adverbs to cut, which to swap for stronger verbs, and which are doing genuine work worth keeping.

Learn how professional proofreaders read book proofs—from checking front matter and tables of contents to catching widows, orphans, and composition errors. A step-by-step process for authors and editors.

From PDF markup to EPUB errors: a complete proofreading guide for authors working with a pro or flying solo. Know what to catch before your book publishes.

Finished your first draft? Here's how to tackle your first revision efficiently—when to start, what to look for, and how to plan your attack.

oncise writing isn't always better — but knowing how to cut is a skill every writer needs. A professional editor shares three practical editing techniques for tightening your prose: finding words that can be replaced by one, cutting nothingburgers, and a sentence-by-sentence brevity exercise.

Reading your own writing with a critical eye is one of the hardest things a writer has to do. These three self-editing strategies — scene-by-scene synopsis, backward reading, and reading aloud — help you create the distance you need to find what's not working at every level, from plot to prose.