#editortips for 07.19.12

@smoulderingsea: Don't try to edit your entire story in one pass. Trickle down, starting with large issues first, then working your way down.  #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You only need to say a character intends to do something if the attempt will be interrupted. Otherwise, just say they do it. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Literally means it actually happened. Figuratively, I'm beating my head on the keyboard. Literally, I don't want a concussion. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: It's not as taboo as it once was to start sentences with "and" or "but," but still use them sparingly and to greatest effect. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Make sure your side characters aren't interchangeable. Do they have distinct traits? What makes them integral to the story? #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't abuse "just." Use it just a little. Just when it's necessary. Just where it's appropriate. This is just too much just. #editortips**

@smoulderingsea: Dialogue should be realistic enough to be natural, but unrealistic enough to avoid writing out annoying, repetitive verbal tics. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Compliment: to flatter/flattering statement. Complement: to complete/something that completes. One letter. Big difference. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Principals have principles. Principles can be principal to a personal code. Principal=top-ranking. Principle=truth/standard. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Punctuation after dialogue: comma before end quote with a speech tag, unless a question or exclamation. Period if no speech tag. #editortips***

@smoulderingsea: No two writers are alike. Let your life experience color your writing to give it true depth. Who you are matters to your story. #editortips

**@neekaneeks added, "That's only slightly as bad as when someone slightly slips in slightly just slightly too much."

***@loladeee asked, "What about ellipses?" For ellipses, with or without a speech tag, it's just ellipses + end quote. "I'm not sure..." he said. "Maybe I'm trailing off too much..."

About #editortips:
#editortips is a daily rash of tweets from an only partially crazy editor, chock full of random chocolatey morsels about writing, editing, and querying vaguely disguised as helpful pointers and/or really bad humor. I tweet as @smoulderingsea, and try to post with some consistency every weekday at 6PM CST. Weekends optional, depending on if I’m spending yet another Saturday night editing because my social life consists of Netflix and joyously mangling the lyrics to "Wild Thing." Na na, na na, nanana, na na...