New answers tagged editing
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Note that you can compare to versions of a document, one a "descendant" of the other to view its differences. "Track changes" feature may makes this easier for you, though. You can have the changes hidden when you are simply editing.
As for a better option, I would probably use a source control version system (svn, git…). They are really ...
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Courier Prime comes with a nice-looking italics character set. Italics are also monospace and look a lot like the old cursive typeface came with many typewriters back in the day. Thus, unlike most other versions of Courier, the italics are not just a slanted version of the regular font. It was written specifically for screenwriters and is available here, ...
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Get the Hemingway program for computer. Copy and paste passages into Hemingway and it will instantly highlight issues like adverb use and lots more. Its a program that has been used by journalists to make their articles 'pop.'
You can even just use the online version at hemmingwayapp.com but it is an unsecure site according to Firefox
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"Show, don't tell!"
It's always a good idea to show who your character is through their actions and dialogue. This way, there's no separation between "introducing the character" and "telling the story". It could be said that story is character.
Instead of telling the reader what the Centenarian's hobby is, why not show the hobby ...
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(Mary's answer feels spot-on to me. I wanted to comment to shade setting it aside a bit, but I had just a hair too much to say...)
The point of setting it aside is to make enough distance to get around (or over) yourself and see the text closer to how it is. A month is a good place to start, but there's no one-size-fits-all gap.
Low-level editing may not ...
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Whatever gets you to a final state that you like. You're not handing in drafts in English class.
Some steps that various writers have found useful:
Put it aside for a month to let it cool. This helps you read with more objectivity.
Work from the big picture to the small details. It does you no good to carefully polish every sentence in a scene if the ...
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I highly recommend The Paramedic Method, which is what I now use to edit all of my drafts. To summarize:
Cut out passive voice. Passive voice is sentences where the subject is obfuscated and there is no clear action, i.e. "The machine was fixed" or "The decision was made." Passive voice makes for weaker, less deliberate writing. After ...
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I'm not quite sure what you mean by throat clearing. Based on the title, however, I'm assuming you mean introductory info-dumps, and am writing my answer based on that.
There is no hard rule for this that I know. Meaning, I'm not sure there's any official limit to how many introductory remarks you can add. The main concern is holding your reader's interest.
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Generally, no.
The traditional editing process has three layers. In order, there's the substantive edit, the line edit, and the proofread. All three require a different set of skills.
The substantive edit (this process goes by a number of different names) aims to address 'big-picture' elements such as plot holes, character arcs, pacing, etcetera. When the ...
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