#editortips for 09.12.12

@smoulderingsea: Story borked beyond repair? Trash every draft. Start over with an outline using only the details important enough to remember.  #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You'll always miss something when you proofread. Try reading backwards to force yourself to really see the words. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: If, when self-editing, you find yourself making the same correction repeatedly, keep a list of your common tics to avoid later. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: When world-building, ask yourself in what context your POV character knows these details, not what context you know them in. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Take a break between rounds of edits. Read something else. You need to clear your head so you can start fresh in the next edit. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You are not Vida Boheme or Miss Noxema. In your writing, pick substance over style any day. #editortips #ToWongFoo

@smoulderingsea: Be honest with yourself. Before you submit, ask: is this really the best you can do, or are you just sick of working on it? #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Editing isn't just 1-2-3-done. The same process won't work every time. You edit until it's perfect, not until the ritual's over. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't quit after 5 queries. That's not even a representative sample. Take your moment to grump, adjust your strategy, try again. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't preach in your writing. Your message will evolve organically from your story on its own. It's not meant to be a lecture. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You are not the special snowflake who can shit out a perfect, submission-ready first draft. Stop even pretending. Go edit. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: No matter what odd stories we tell, writing is a human experience. Remember it's meant to bring us together, not rip us apart. #editortips

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 something something something seeds something something something Brutals.