Self-Editing Essentials: Proven Methods for Enhancing Every Manuscript

with Blake Atwood

In The Elements of Style, Strunk and White wrote, “Vigorous writing is concise… This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” Editing yourself requires careful attention to those last three words. Does your every word tell?

This presentation will cover:

• proven copyediting methods for eradicating minute mistakes;

• tools of the trade to make you a better self-editor;

• questions to ask yourself to ensure your reader understands you;

• crutch words, hedging words, redundant words, and common grammatical abuses;

• and, because even self-editing writers should have editors, how to find, vet, and work with a freelance editor.

Blake Atwood is an editor, author, and ghostwriter who helps writers tell better stories, choose the right path to publication, and how to best market their words. He is the author of Don’t Fear the Reaper: Why Every Author Needs an Editor, which is currently free to download. He also wrote The Gospel According to Breaking Bad and has co-written, ghostwritten, or edited forty books, including The Father Effect.

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The Writers Guild of Texas presents Guest Speaker / Program meetings on the 3rd Monday of each month in the Basement Program room of the Richardson Public Library. Visitors are welcome to attend.