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The Ultimate Self Editing Checklist

This document provides a checklist for self-editing manuscripts with over 30 prompts to evaluate aspects like unnecessary information, word choice, redundancy, perspective, and specifics. It focuses on simplifying writing by removing extra words and details. The checklist covers both general writing tips and fiction-specific advice such as maintaining point of view and showing rather than telling.

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John Ness
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243 views3 pages

The Ultimate Self Editing Checklist

This document provides a checklist for self-editing manuscripts with over 30 prompts to evaluate aspects like unnecessary information, word choice, redundancy, perspective, and specifics. It focuses on simplifying writing by removing extra words and details. The checklist covers both general writing tips and fiction-specific advice such as maintaining point of view and showing rather than telling.

Uploaded by

John Ness
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE ULTIMATE SELF-EDITING CHECKLIST


©2015 JerryJenkins.com
Print this page and use it to grade your manuscript, checking as many of the boxes as you can.

I have:

o Deleted throat-clearing, freeing my opening of unnecessary scene setting, backstory,


background information, or anything else that keeps me from getting on with my story.

o Chosen the simple word over the complicated one. Anywhere I could have simplified, I
have.

o Omitted needless words.

o Deleted even subtle redundancies, such as “he clapped his hands” or “he shrugged
his shoulders.”

o Deleted up and down, except where necessary.

o Deleted that, except when necessary for clarity.

o Not over-explained. (Instead of “He walked through the open door and sat down in a
chair,” you would write, “He walked in and sat in a chair.”)

o Avoided quotation marks around words used in another context, as if the reader
wouldn’t otherwise “get it.”

o Avoided telling what’s not happening, such as, “He didn’t respond,” or, “The room never
quieted.”

o Used strong nouns and verbs instead of overusing adjectives and adverbs.

o Avoided hedging verbs, such as smiled slightly, almost laughed, etc.

o Deleted the term literally when I actually mean figuratively.

o Deleted unnecessary stage direction, telling my reader only what he or she needs to
know in each scene—nothing more.

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THE ULTIMATE SELF-EDITING CHECKLIST
©2015 JerryJenkins.com
ESPECIALLY FOR FICTION
I have:

o Maintained a single Point of View per scene.

o Avoided clichés—not just words and phrases, but also situations.

o Resisted the urge to explain, showing rather than telling. For example, not, “It’s cold,”
which is merely flat, telling narrative, but rather, “She shivered,” which is descriptive
language, showing a character in action, letting the reader experience the story and
deduce what is going on without being told.

o Primarily used said to attribute dialogue, rather than any other option.

o Included specifics to add the ring of truth.

o Avoided similar character names or even the same first initials to keep characters distinct.

o Avoided specialized punctuation, typestyles, font sizes, ALL CAPS, italics, bold facing,
etc.

For more information on Jerry’s self-editing rules, visit this article:

Self-Editing Your Book: The Ultimate 21-Part Checklist

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THE ULTIMATE SELF-EDITING CHECKLIST
©2015 JerryJenkins.com

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