Editing tips

I've just returned from a few days on the road as I accompanied my dear husband to one of his annual conferences. For me it was an opportunity to edit. I find sometimes that being out of my normal environment helps stimulate either the editing or the writing, and since our hotel wasn't near anything interesting, it helped keep my bottom in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard.

One editing trick I use for the final pass is to turn on the "Reveal Codes" function. It's amazing how many extra spaces, open quotes and other editing woes can leap out at you. I also read dialogue aloud, and see if it sounds real or not. Finally, I change the font, another good way to catch typos and problems.

No editing process is perfect but I always enjoy the sense of accomplishment when I've done a final pass before sending it off to a prospective publisher.