Write Easier, Write Faster, Write Better, Part 3

In Part 1, I covered my new favorite way to get those words out of your head and "on paper," Part 2 was about the ways I've used to organize my WIPs (works-in-progress) to turn them into a book.

Today, let's look at options for creating a clean, final first draft.

These suggestions won't replace having a professional editor and proofreader for your manuscript, but they will help you to make your first and final drafts as clean as possible, saving your editor time and you money!

First, use an application like Grammarly or ProWriting Aid. There's no substitute for an actual human, who can use common sense and logic to ensure context and meaning, yet software can catch the lion's share of mistakes the naked writer eye will miss. Tip: Copy one chapter at a time into either of these gems and go through each change, one by one. Make the ones that make sense and reject the rest. Ultimately, you know what you mean to say, software sometimes does not.

Next, read your manuscript out loud. In past projects, my narrator would always send me dozens of changes the editorial team (and I) had missed. Reading text out loud allows you to hear if a sentence sounds clunky or doesn't make sense, ensures you catch double or missing words, and helps find other errors that could be overlooked.

Finally, spend time away from a manuscript (two weeks? a month?) while you work on other aspects of the publishing process. When am I likely to find errors in one of my books? When I haven't read it for a year or three. Time away allows one to process material with fresh eyes, and fresh eyes are awesome for finding mistakes, increasing creative juices, and giving you perspective on how much you really do know!

Once upon a time, I would finish a draft and send it to my editor (thinking I was done!). I would get it back with tons of mistakes, many of which I would have found if I'd just known to take the steps above. I know these steps will help make your book as close to perfect as possible. I know you'll enjoy having a professionally published book—and really love being an author! See you tomorrow.

To Your Success! Honoree Corder | [email protected] | HonoreeCorder.com

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