Tips for Editing Your Children’s Book

At some point after you have a solid draft of the children’s book you’re writing, you must begin the editing process. Here’s a quick overview of the salient points to keep in mind:

• If a sentence doesn’t contribute to plot or character development, delete it.

• Make sure your characters don’t all sound the same when they speak.

• If you have a page or more of continuous dialogue, chances are it needs tightening.

• When starting a new scene or chapter, make sure to briefly establish context.

• When changing place or time, provide brief transitions to keep your story moving smoothly.

• Make sure to keep the pace moving from action to action, scene to scene, chapter to chapter.

• If you find yourself using a lot of extra punctuation (!!!), CAPITAL LETTERS, italics, or bold, chances are your words are not working hard enough for you.

• When you can find one word to replace two or more words, do it.

• Don’t be afraid to introduce a new word; just make sure to define it right away.

• Watch excessive use of adjectives, adverbs, and long descriptive passages.

• After you choose a point of view for a character, stick to it.

• If your character has not changed at the end of your story, he probably isn't yet fully fleshed out.

• If your character talks to himself or does a lot of wondering aloud, he needs a friend to talk to.

• If you’re bored with a character, your reader will be, too.

• If you can’t tell your story in three well-crafted sentences — the first one covering the beginning, the second one alluding to the climax (the middle), and the last one hinting at the ending — you may not have one yet.

• If you find yourself overwriting because you’re having trouble expressing exactly what you mean, sit back and say it aloud to yourself, and then try again.