Things I've Learned From An Excellent Editor

 
        I write Christian romance novels and have been blessed to work with an excellent editor. Today, I’d like to share some of the things she’s taught me. Although they are basic, it never hurts to be reminded of them.

1. If I’m using “felt” and “knew” many times in my writing, these are signs that I’m in shallow, telling mode.
2. How to handle flashbacks: Enter a flashback with a past participle (eg., had told), then slip into simple past tense for the short story, then come out of the flashback using the past participle.
3. Don’t provide too much boring stage direction. Get over these parts as lightly as possible.
4. Communicate pensive emotions through body language.
5. Avoid attributions entirely or as much as I reasonably can. Stick with “said”, “yelled”, “exclaimed”, “murmured”, and “mumbled”. Use “said” most often.
6. Don’t have a character doing the same thing constantly, like crying. Vary it a bit.
7. Try not to use gerunds – verbs ending in “ing”. Stick with “ed” verbs, which make the prose more active and immediate.
8. As an author, I don’t have to account for every person in the narrative every step of the way.

         
​         That’s it for now. It never hurts to be reminded of what keeps our writing sharp, clear and compelling.