Run a Consistency Check

 

I am probably the last person you want to take editing advice from. Only now, ten years after self-publishing a flurry of novels, am I giving them the edits they deserve. I also can’t teach you how to write. Most people can’t write. Some write badly. Many who have more or less mastered the mechanics still write bland, boring books.

Nevertheless, your novel can always be improved. Ideally, long before publication. While going over one of mine about eight times now, I’ve made a few observations that can shore up any story. Even if your book is bad, the writing should be consistent. That will make it significantly…less bad.

Doing a global search for these pitfalls can reveal numerous issues. But don’t use a global replace, or you’re likely to make changes you didn’t intend.

Okay/Ok

Pick one usage and stick with it. Personally, I feel ‘okay’ is the way to go, here. But, whatever. Don’t include a mix of usages. Ok?

 

Contractions

Traditionally, we were taught not to use contractions in our narrative. I find that not using them in that case feels stilted, and seriously affects your tone. You don’t want your contemporary novel to sound like it was written in the 1800s, do you? Again, it’s a choice of styles, but whatever you choose, make sure you follow that pattern throughout the entire book. This doesn’t apply to dialogue, of course.

 

Foreign words/accents

If you’re including a second language, no matter what amount, don’t make assumptions about spelling and phrasing. Take the time to do your research here, and make sure you get it right. If a word gets accented in its native form, then accent your usage as well.

 

Open and closed quotes

I’ve noticed that Microsoft Word’s “Smart Quotes” could be smarter. Sometimes after a spate of typing or editing, it will enclose a quotation with two closed or open quotes, instead of a matched pair. It can be easy to overlook.

 

Brand names

Visquine, right? No, it’s actually Visqueen. Weird. Plexiglass is generic, Plexiglas is a particular brand. It only takes a few seconds to check, but it’s an important detail that's easy to get wrong.

 

Ellipses

One could write an entire column on these three little dots, and many have. Aside from taking a look at how often you use this device, make sure the application is consistent. There are multiple ways to go, all are correct in one school of thought or another. Just make sure you don’t mix and match them.

 

Names vs. Pronouns

This is a big one. I write longhand, and used to turn my stuff over to my typist. I have no idea how she was able to decipher my handwriting. But when you’re banging out pages this way, you tend to use your character’s names more often than you should. At least that’s the case for me. Wherever possible, use a pronoun if the subject is made clear by context. That’s not to say obliterate every reference to a character’s name, but it generally doesn’t need to be used more than once a paragraph. Each occurrence should also be viewed against the previous and following paragraphs. Find a balance between clarity and style, and err on the side of pronouns.

 

Word choice/proximity

I hate when I use the same word near itself. Consequently, I am able to avoid it most of the time. Even so, I slip up, and kick myself later. Especially when the text goes to audiobook format, which is a lot harder to get changed. As you edit, pay attention to this aspect. That’s not to say you should go crazy with synonyms if a scene necessitates using the same word several times, but in briefer instances, that’s a good solution. Barring that, you might consider rewriting the passage to minimize repetition.

 

Do you really need that semi-colon?

Probably not. I just don’t like them. They should be used sparingly, if at all. I’ve found that most sentences that use semicolons work just as well or better when split into two sentences. If you’re using them, make sure they’re justified.

 

So, But, and And

It is incredibly easy to overuse these words at the beginning of a sentence. In most cases, it works just as well without them. They’re better suited for dialogue. That’s not to say you should never begin a sentence in the narrative this way, but be aware that you’re doing it, and how often.

 

Overusing words in general

Once you get past words that absolutely will be repeated endlessly, we all have some that we favor without knowing it. If one keeps popping up in your edit, do a search to get a count of how many times this is happening. It sounds a bit dispassionate, but statistical analysis can improve your text.

 

Adverbs

Search for words ending in -ly. Eliminate three quarters of them. It sounds harsh, but it will improve the quality of your work tremendously. Oops.

 

Approaching these problems in a global fashion will speed up your editing process in the long run, and make for a much more consistent book. It’s not a substitute for poring over each sentence word by word, but running a consistency check before you dive into deep editing will eliminate the possibility of accumulating many small stylistic errors that can add up in a longer piece. Once you become aware of these problems in your text, I daresay your next effort will be much improved from the start.

Don't read my books. Seriously. I'm relaunching them slowly, one at a time. On the other hand, my audiobooks are worth listening to...

https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Jason+Z.+Christie