The Editor's Checklist

A simple and straight-forward guide for reflecting on your work and making relevant changes.

Editing is, to put it simply, a minefield. We've all spent what feels like a century staring at a page, trying to work out what needs changing, and where on Earth to start when it comes to revising sentence structure, spelling, grammar – the list goes on. And it's not as easy as using the likes of ChatGTP or Microsoft Word's Copilot... oh no. To improve your editing skills, you first need to learn how to be a better observer. And, you might be wondering, what do you need to be looking out for? Well, luckily for you, I've created a handy step by step guide...

Step One – look at the bigger picture. Don't dive head-first into a piece and start analysing verbs and adjectives at randome; start by zooming out and looking at things from a reader's perspective.

Some handy questions you can ask yourself as you read back your work are:

• Does the story have a clear beginning, middle, and end? (As in, are we presented with a character in a setting with a problem, how does the character react, and what is the resolution – if there is one)

• Is there a central conflict or tension that drives the plot? (In other words, what's keeping your readers reading?)

• Are the stakes clear? Does the reader understand what’s at risk?

• Are the characters believable, distinct, and consistent?

• Does the main character change or learn something by the end? (If not, why?)

• Is the setting vivid and integral to the story?

  
  

  Step Two – look a bit closer, this time on a paragraph level. It's much healthier to focus on paragraphs first, and then sentences later.

Ask yourself:

• Does each paragraph have a clear purpose?

• Are transitions between paragraphs smooth and logical?

• Have you varied the sentence lengths and structures for rhythm and flow?

• Are the paragraphs balanced — not too short or too long?

  
  

  Step Three – now look at your sentences:

  
  

• Have you cut out unnecessary words or repetition?

• Are your verbs strong and specific (e.g. “sprinted” instead of “ran fast”)? Remember that strong, accurate verbs are often more valuable in our writing than flashy adjectives and no-good adverbs...

• Have you shown rather than told wherever possible, aside from areas where telling is useful to summarise things quickly that you have already covered, or speedily transitioning between scenes

• Are dialogue tags (e.g., said, asked) minimal and effective?

• Have you read your dialogue aloud to ensure it sounds natural? And do your character's voices sound different from one another?

  
  

  Step Four – look closely at language and style:

  
  

• Are you using a variety of different word types — but not overusing them?

• Have you included sensory detail (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) wherever possible?

• Are metaphors, similes, or other literary devices used thoughtfully?

• Have you maintained a consistent tone or voice throughout? (If you're still unsure, ask someone else for their opinion – such as a writer friend or beta reader – or read your work aloud)

  
  

  Step Five – Technical Accuracy

  
  

• Have you checked for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors?

• Is dialogue correctly formatted?

• Have you used proper punctuation for dialogue (e.g. commas inside quotation marks)?

• Is your formatting (title, spacing, font) consistent and professional?

This is a handy five-step editing guide, but of course there are so many other things to consider. To help you improve and reflect on your writing further, it's recommended that you leave your work in a drawer (or anywhere really!) for a few weeks or months after finishing it, to give you some distance from the words, and then afterwards you can return with fresher eyes. Equally, writing partners, workshops and many online forums are a useful way to gather feedback on your work.

I hope you found this blog post useful! If you have any questions about editing your work, please comment below!

Thanks for reading :)