Book Review: Self-Editing For Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print

     I just finished Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King. I thought I would post a  review of it while it was still fresh in my mind.

     I decided to read this book after Fiction Writing for Dummies cited to it several times. I figured I should just go straight to the source. And am I glad I did. 

     While the authors caution in the introduction that their book is for the editing process and not the first draft, after reading it, I have to disagree. It has some great tips that new writers need to know on everything from plot structure to word choice. The book contains the following chapters: 

Show and Tell

Characterization and Exposition

Point of View

Dialogue Mechanics

See How It Sounds

Interior Monologue

Easy Beats

Breaking Up Is Easy To Do

Once Is Usually Enough

Proportion

Sophistication

Voice

    The section on dialogue was particularly helpful. It had concrete tips on how to create living dialogue. The other books on writing that I've read so far have been rather vague when it comes to that subject. This one was quite on point, though.

     For me, one of the most valuable ideas was for authors to make sure that they don't explain dialogue that can really stand for itself. And, if a writer must explain dialogue, they should do a rewrite to make that unnecessary. For example, on pages 49-50:

     What not to do: "'I find that difficult to accept,' she said in astonishment."

     The rewrite: "She dropped the whisk, splattering meringue up the cupboard door. "You can't be serious."

      The first sentence above has to explain the dialogue, which, on its own, cannot properly convey the feeling of astonishment. So, the writer is reduced to telling the reader instead of showing. The rewrite of the sentence fixes that and conveys so much more about just how astonished the character was. Very useful.

      The other section of the book that I found particularly helpful was the one on "Sophistication."It had all the little tips about how to really make your writing dynamic and appealing to the reader. It's the little tips a new writer needs to know: get rid of adverbs as much as possible (anything that ends in -ly); try using commas instead of periods for dialogue; don't use italics or exclamation points unless they are really, really called for. I have a habit of using adverbs in my writing, so that's something I'll have to work on. I will probably do a special post on it later on down the road.
      Conclusion: 5/5 stars. I liked it so much that I bought a copy for myself. I am very certain that I will refer to it frequently.

     Cheers! And, good luck to all those in Hurricane Irene's path. I'm thinking of you.