You’ve written your first draft—that’s a huge achievement! Now comes the crucial step of editing, where you transform your raw words into captivating reading. For many new writers, editing feels overwhelming. What do you even look for? How do you make your writing stronger without spending hours on complex rules?
The good news is you don’t need to be a professional editor to make significant improvements. There are several easy edits you can apply to instantly polish your prose (which just means making your writing clearer, more impactful, and enjoyable to read). This guide breaks down seven simple yet powerful techniques you can use right now to elevate your writing, even if you’re a complete beginner to editing.
1. Hunt Down and Eliminate Weak Verbs (Boost Your Action)
Verbs are the action words in your sentences, and strong verbs make your writing vibrant and engaging. Weak verbs often rely on helper words (like “is,” “was,” “were,” “are,” “seem,” “feel,” “get”) or are vague.
- Why it matters: Weak verbs make your writing passive, less descriptive, and can bore your reader. Strong verbs inject energy and paint a clearer picture.
- How to find them:
- Search for “to be” verbs: Do a “find” (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) in your document for words like “is,” “am,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “be,” “being,” “been.”
- Look for vague verbs: Words like “walked,” “said,” “went,” “got,” and “made.”
- How to fix them: Replace weak verbs with stronger, more descriptive ones.
- Weak: “He was walking slowly down the street.”
- Strong: “He shuffled down the street.” (More descriptive than “was walking”)
- Weak: “She said hello to him.”
- Strong: “She whispered hello to him.” (More specific than “said”)
- Weak: “The dog was running to the park.”
- Strong: “The dog raced to the park.”
Action Step: Go through your manuscript, specifically looking for “to be” verbs and vague action words. Brainstorm more impactful replacements.
2. Slash Unnecessary Adverbs (Let Verbs and Nouns Do the Work)
Adverbs are words that usually end in “-ly” and describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (e.g., “quickly,” “slowly,” “very,” “really”). While they have their place, overusing them can weaken your writing.
- Why it matters: Often, a strong verb or a more precise noun can convey the meaning an adverb tries to add, making your prose more direct and powerful. Adverbs can also sound redundant or tell the reader something that could be shown.
- How to find them:
- Do a “find” for “-ly” words.
- Look for intensifiers like “very,” “really,” “quite,” and “just.”
- How to fix them:
- Replace with a stronger verb:
- Weak: “He ran quickly.”
- Strong: “He sprinted.” (The “quickly” is built into “sprinted”)
- Replace with a stronger adjective/noun combination:
- Weak: “It was a very big house.”
- Strong: “It was a mansion.”
- Consider if it’s truly necessary: Does the adverb add new information, or is it just fluff?
- Weak: “She smiled happily.” (Does anyone smile unhappily? “She smiled” is often enough.)
- Strong: “She smiled.” or “A wide smile spread across her face.”
- Replace with a stronger verb:
Action Step: Go through your manuscript and identify “-ly” adverbs and intensifiers. For each one, ask yourself: Can a single, stronger word replace this phrase? Is this adverb truly necessary?
3. Eliminate Redundancy and Wordiness (Be Concise)
Redundancy means repeating information or using more words than necessary to express an idea. Wordiness is simply using too many words to say something that could be said more directly.
- Why it matters: Wordiness makes your writing dense, hard to follow, and wastes the reader’s time. Concise writing is clear, impactful, and professional.
- How to find them:
- Read sentences aloud: If a sentence feels long or clunky, it likely has extra words.
- Look for common redundant phrases:
- “end result” (Result implies end)
- “basic fundamentals” (Fundamentals are basic)
- “personal opinion” (Opinion is personal)
- “past history” (History is past)
- “each and every” (Pick one: “each” or “every”)
- “completely unique” (Unique means one of a kind)
- Identify phrases that can be replaced by single words:
- “in order to” -> “to”
- “due to the fact that” -> “because”
- “at this point in time” -> “now”
- How to fix them: Trim out unnecessary words and phrases.
- Wordy: “In spite of the fact that it was raining, they decided to go for a walk.”
- Concise: “Despite the rain, they went for a walk.”
- Redundant: “He repeated it again.”
- Concise: “He repeated it.”
Action Step: Go sentence by sentence, or paragraph by paragraph. If you can remove a word or phrase without losing meaning, remove it. Be ruthless!
4. Vary Your Sentence Structure (Keep Readers Engaged)
Imagine reading a book where every sentence starts the same way and has the same length. It would get very boring, very quickly! Varying your sentence structure means using a mix of short, medium, and long sentences, and starting sentences in different ways.
- Why it matters: Variety keeps your reader’s brain engaged. It creates a natural rhythm in your writing and can emphasize certain points. Short sentences can create impact or tension, while longer ones can build atmosphere or convey complex ideas.
- How to find monotony:
- Read a paragraph aloud. Does it sound repetitive?
- Scan your sentences. Do many start with “The,” “He,” “She,” or a similar simple subject-verb structure?
- How to fix them:
- Combine short sentences:
- Monotonous: “The cat sat. It was black. It watched the mouse.”
- Varied: “The black cat sat, intently watching the mouse.”
- Break up long sentences: If a sentence has too many clauses, consider splitting it into two or more shorter ones.
- Start with different elements:
- Adverbial phrase: “Cautiously, she opened the door.”
- Prepositional phrase: “Beneath the ancient oak, the treasure lay buried.”
- Subordinating conjunction: “Although it was late, he continued to work.”
- Verb (in some cases): “Running quickly, he reached the finish line.”
- Invert sentence structure occasionally: Instead of “The old house stood on the hill,” try “On the hill stood the old house.”
- Combine short sentences:
Action Step: Read a page or two of your manuscript. Circle the first word of every sentence. If you see too many circles around the same words, it’s time to vary things up.
5. Check for Passive Voice (Make Your Subject Act!)
In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action (e.g., “The dog chased the ball”). In passive voice, the subject receives the action (e.g., “The ball was chased by the dog”).
- Why it matters: Active voice is generally more direct, clear, concise, and engaging. It makes your writing feel more dynamic. Passive voice can be vague, wordy, and make it unclear who is doing the action.
- How to find it: Look for forms of the verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past participle (a verb ending in -ed, -en, etc., like “chased,” “written,” “broken”). Also, look for the phrase “by the [doer].”
- How to fix it: Rearrange the sentence so the doer of the action is the subject.
- Passive: “The report was written by Jane.”
- Active: “Jane wrote the report.”
- Passive: “Mistakes were made.” (Who made them?)
- Active: “I/We made mistakes.” (If you know who)
- Passive: “The door was opened.”
- Active: “She opened the door.”
Note: Passive voice isn’t always wrong. It’s sometimes used when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or you want to emphasize the recipient of the action (e.g., “The child was hit by a car”). But for vibrant prose, aim for active voice most of the time.
Action Step: Search your document for “was,” “were,” “is,” “are,” etc., followed by a past participle. If you find passive voice, try to rephrase the sentence in active voice.
6. Enhance with Sensory Details (Show, Don’t Just Tell)
This is a golden rule of writing: Show, don’t tell. Instead of simply stating emotions or facts, engage your reader’s five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) to bring your scenes and characters to life.
- Why it matters: Telling (“She was sad”) is boring. Showing (“Tears streamed down her cheeks, and a knot formed in her stomach”) allows the reader to experience the emotion and visualize the scene, making your writing more immersive and impactful.
- How to find telling:
- Look for phrases that state emotions directly (“He was angry,” “She felt joy”).
- Look for general descriptions that lack specifics (“The room was nice,” “The food was good”).
- How to fix them:
- Instead of telling an emotion, describe its physical manifestation:
- Telling: “He was scared.”
- Showing: “His heart hammered against his ribs, and his hands trembled as he gripped the doorknob.”
- Instead of general descriptions, use specific sensory details:
- Telling: “The kitchen smelled bad.”
- Showing: “A sickly sweet odor of rotting fruit mingled with the stale scent of burnt toast in the kitchen.”
- Telling: “The music was loud.”
- Showing: “The bass thrummed against my chest, vibrating the floor beneath my feet.”
- Instead of telling an emotion, describe its physical manifestation:
Action Step: Read through a scene or a character description. Can you add details that appeal to sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch? Replace stated emotions with descriptions of what the character experiences physically.
7. Read Aloud (Catch What Your Eyes Miss)
This is a simple yet incredibly powerful editing technique. Reading your entire manuscript aloud forces you to slow down and hear your words as a reader would.
- Why it matters: Your eyes are trained to skim and auto-correct errors. Your ears, however, will catch awkward phrasing, repetitive sentences, missing words, and clunky rhythms that your eyes might glide over. It helps you identify sentences that are too long, too short, or simply don’t flow well.
- How to do it:
- Read slowly and deliberately: Don’t rush.
- Listen for rhythm: Does it sound natural, or does it stumble?
- Listen for clarity: Do you understand what you’re saying?
- Listen for flow: Do sentences transition smoothly?
- Don’t be afraid to sound silly: Your goal is to catch mistakes.
- Consider text-to-speech software: If you don’t like reading aloud, use a text-to-speech program (built into many computers/word processors, or online tools) to have your computer read your manuscript to you. Hearing an artificial voice stumble over your awkward phrases can be very illuminating!
Action Step: Commit to reading your entire manuscript aloud, even if it’s just one chapter a day. Make notes or highlight areas where you stumble, sound repetitive, or feel a sentence could be clearer.
The Power of Iterative Editing
Remember, editing isn’t a one-time event. You’ll likely go through multiple passes, focusing on different aspects each time. By applying these 7 easy edits, you’ll dramatically improve your prose and get closer to a professional-quality manuscript. Start with these simple steps, and you’ll be amazed at how much stronger and more engaging your writing becomes!
Feeling overwhelmed by the editing process, or want to ensure your prose truly shines?
Even with these tips, professional editing can take your manuscript to the next level. If you’ve poured your heart into writing your book and want it to be as polished and impactful as possible, Professional Ghostwriter offers expert book editing services tailored to bring out the best in your prose. From developmental feedback to line-by-line polishing, we ensure your message is clear, compelling, and perfectly presented.
Let’s refine your words and elevate your story.
Contact Professional Ghostwriter today for a free consultation on our professional editing solutions.