Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave

by Don McNair

Don’t let simple mistakes ruin your book’s chances! If you’re not getting published, you may suffer from foggy writing—writing that’s full of unnecessary, misused, and overused words. Foggy writing drives editors crazy, and it’s the number one reason most manuscripts are rejected on first glance. Let veteran editor Don McNair show you how to clear up your foggy writing and produce sparkling copy that will attract agents, editors, readers, and sales.  Editor-Proof Your Writing will show you how to avoid fatal writing mistakes by eliminating unnecessary words—and in the process you’ll strengthen your book’s action, invigorate your dialogue, and make your writing crackle with life. Containing 21 simple, straightforward principles, Editor-Proof Your Writing teaches how to edit weak verb forms, strip away author intrusions, ban redundancies, eliminate foggy phrases, correct passive-voice sentences, slash misused and overused words, and fix other writing mistakes.  A must-have addition to every writer’s toolkit, Editor-Proof Your Writing won’t just make your writing clearer; it will make you a better writer — more expressive, more entertaining, and more likely to sell.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Suzanne Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave by award winning writer and editor, Don McNair. In a stroke of serendipity, the book arrived just as I was getting ready to do the final edits on my summer novel release.

As I read this book, it struck me as basic advice. I'm a teacher and a writer, and I didn't expect to find anything new for myself in the book. Don McNair surprised me.

With his cut-to-the-core style, and his structured steps, he makes editing clear and easy. No more wandering through your manuscript wondering if something should stay or go. With Don McNair's steps to fog-free writing, in the first pass you'll know what to cut and what to keep. Editor-Proof Your Writing makes the whole process simple. Using his method, I reduced my editing time by half.

Also, I keep my review copies of books in presentable condition, because I often pass them along to other readers. Not this one. You'll have to get your own copy! My copy is bursting with highlighting marks, sticky notes galore, and pencil marks where I did the exercises he suggests right in the book. I know, it sounds crazy, right? But this expert author has a way of making you want to dive right into the editing, right on the pages. I'll be referring back to this book every time I edit.

Editor-Proof Your Writing includes:

1. Straightforward advice about keeping readers interested
2. A section with 21 easy to follow steps for editing
3. Writing examples from before, during, and after editing
4. How to write a query and synopsis
5. Invaluable guidance you would expect from a mentor

Don, if you're reading this review, I hope you don't find too many errors in my writing! Thanks for the fabulous tips and editing system.

Full Disclosure: I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Einar Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very well organized and if you are starting to write in English it has some good ideas. Although it does generalize a little bit. For example, the advice of not using words that end with "ly" while true is also not always as clear-cut. I own Fahrenheit 451 and Dune on my computer and did a simple search. Both books use a lot of words that end with "ly". I did this also with other advice and had similar results. But don't get me wrong I think that the McNair is right especially when you are starting out. It is best to keep your writing simple at first and you'll probably have the best results. But when you evolve as a writer you'll find your style and then you'll be able to break these rules. Because the most important part of breaking a rule is knowing it exists.
That being said McNair really does present this book and its advice very well. I found right away that I learned a lot and I've already incorporated some of his advice into my writing. I'll definitely read this again someday.
So if you are looking for a nice book on writing I would recommend this one.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't anything completely new in this book but its strength is that:

*all the information is in one place
*it's presented in a logical easy to follow way
*everything is explained in a straightforward manner with lots of examples

This book will live on my desk when I'm editing.

[Salem Lorot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you McNair for your insightful book and practical examples on pitfalls to avoid in writing. The benefits I got from this book are immense.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book advertised on a writing article somewhere. As an editor, the title enticed me enough to borrow the ebook from the library; I'm all for lists of advice.

The actual 21 steps in the book match the same principles I've discovered in my own editing process, and it was awesome to see them laid out in an organized fashion. McNair does a nice job explaining the rationale behind his suggestions; he includes examples and practice exercises as well.

Although I admire the effort that went into this book, it felt like the beginning and ending portions were just included to pad out the pages so that this could be considered a full book. It seems like the 21 steps could've been posted as an online article without sacrificing much information. Also, the author's tone was grating at times. Perhaps it was too salesman-like or overconfident, and I questioned his credentials after seeing his outdated website. I also don't like it when authors use their own work as examples, especially when their books haven't received any widespread acclaim.

So, my above qualms make me hesitate to confidently recommend this book to others, but I do think the 21 steps are a great resource for editors and writers alike.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the clear prose publishers and agents crave
Author: Don McNair
Genre: Writing Helps/Non-fiction
Recommended Ages: 18 & Up

Introduction:
I really wanted to like this book. As an author, I wanted to know what I could do to help my writing a little more. There were definitely some good tips in the book, but there were other parts that I had a harder time with. Not that they weren't good points, they were just made in a manner I didn't appreciate. Or sometimes, they were things I had heard many times before.

Clarity: 1/1
Don McNair made his points clearly and succinctly and explained things well. For instance, I think I finally understand a little better how to show instead of tell. If I can just implement it.

Usability: .75/1
There were quite a few things I will be able to use from the book and others that I already knew or didn't agree with.

Readability: .25/1
Overall, the writing itself was easy to read. There were a few sections that I wish I could have skimmed over because of the content in them. Yes, I am an adult, but that doesn't mean I want to fill my mind with those things. Thus the reason for the rating as well as the 18+ reading recommendation.

Overall writing quality: .75/1
The writing quality was good. As mentioned above, though, some of the examples made me very uncomfortable. One of them was borderline erotica and it didn't need to be. He was talking about the need for the characters to like each other, but also have conflict. He used a man-woman relationship as the example and it could have easily been a non-romantic relationship.

Un-put-down-ability: 0/1
I put the book down many times. Sometimes it was due to other things I needed to do, but most of the time it was because I had to stop. I forced myself to finish the book so I could read all of the tips, but I cringed anytime I came across an example just in case it might have content I didn't appreciate.

Conclusion: 2.75/5
If you need a book that will help you edit your book, this is a good book for that, especially if you haven't read very many writing books. If you do not like the above-mentioned content, I would skip reading the examples in chapters 9 and 10.

[Chrysten Lofton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0⭐ A Better Writer For Having Read It

This book is 90% perfect. It points out some of the biggest amateur sins—author intrusion/POV, info dumps, narrative language, dropping “ing” and adverbs, creating action, omitting needless words, etc. I believe 10% of the time, the advice comes at the expense of music and rhythm in a sentence. It’s up the writer to use their reader ear and ditch that particular rule when it’s called for.

McNair did amateurs a big favor with this book. Pointing out common errors is valuable. Including full sections of prose to edit, thus conditioning and training readers to be better writers? Priceless. This is top-shelf writing/editing advice. I feel confident about approaching my manuscript now.

If you regularly look at your work and think, “Something is wrong with this sentence, but whaaaat.” This is the book for you. You’ve made a break-through just seeing there’s a problem, follow that progress with real conditioning.

- 📚☕♥

[Katie Spina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every other year or so you need to pick up a book on craft with practical ways to reinvigorate your writing. This book is fabulous. The examples he uses and the way he explains his points were clear and connected with me. I like that each chapter ends with a practical usage lesson along with an exercise to use the process on your own work.

Great book that I will recommend often.

[Rogue Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is concise and actionable. It gives you clear things to think about not only while editing but while writing to make your work clearer.

This man has been an editor for over 50 years and he knows what it takes to get published. Concise writing with good books will get sold a whole lot easier.

This is a valuable tool to improve your writing. Period.

[Alarna Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a practical and straight forward guide to self-editing. I’m a cleaner writer because of it. It’s by far my number one in the self help writing arena. I’ve got so many writing books on my shelves and if anyone ever asks which one is my favourite, it’s this.

[Bonni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for overcoming common writing mistakes. The author is positive and encouraging rather than condescending. This is a book I will refer back to often.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost more of a workbook than a reading book. Some really great, largely common-sense, advice here. I took a lot of notes.

[Carrie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My engineer’s brain loved the straight forward layout of this book. Each chapter taught its lesson in concise, clear words. Gave examples, let you practice and then moved on :)

[Jennifer N. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for any author

Whether you are published or not you need this book. It is chalk full of great advice on all things writing.

[K.H. LeMoyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave

Summary: After years of editorial experience and personal publishing success, Don McNair has put his expertise into an instructional format to help other writers target their problem areas and polish their final manuscripts. The book is formatted into three sections, each with examples, explanations, and helpful hints. There are also quizzes (and yes, thankfully answers) for each section so the chapters can be used as an ongoing workbook.

Part One: Putting Words In
This initial section presents excerpts and instructs on how to assess the pieces of a story. There are examples as well as analysis and what I found most interesting is that this process can be modified for any genre. Examine your favorite authors for patterns and styles. Why does what they do work? What do they do that doesn’t? With Editor-Proof Your Writing you have a method to analyze your work and that of others.

Part Two: Taking Words Out
This is my favorite section. I love getting to the editing of writing: playing with words, tightening, sprucing up sentences. I’m also a sucker for lists and this section contains several from throwaway words to clichés to avoid. If you’ve finished a first draft and are puzzled about how to tackle the result for polish and flow, this will walk you through what to search for and offer potential remedies to reach your final drafts with confidence. The section also provides cautionary tales about over-editing, what one might consider sterilizing your work in favor of rules over reason. For writers who are inundated by critiques where every form of the ‘to be’ verb is erroneously tagged as passive voice, there are some wonderful examples and explanations on how to recognize passive voice and strengthen those sentences. And I might even admit that the items covered in this section are occasionally harped on, umm—I mean flagged, by my own editor and proofreader, so I can vouch for their authenticity. (smile)

Part Three: Sharing your words
For insight on how to approach publisher or agents, this section offers material such as cover letters and synopsis as well as the importance of distributing your final work to others for feedback.

This is a high-level overview. Obviously, the book has much more to say in an easy to digest manner. With the myriad how-to books on the market, this is one you can pull out and reference no matter what your level of expertise.

Don’t fool yourself that this is a replacement for hard work and personal choices on words, pacing, rhythm and character/story development. A great story depends foremost on wonderful story telling and engaging characters, not blindly following the rules of grammar. No instructional book will replace developing character motivation and layering details for tale and theme. However, you have to know the rules first in order to know where to break them—judiciously of course. I’ve been writing long enough to have several bookcases on writing, editing, and publication. Few of those books make it to the keeper shelf beside my desk. Editor-Proof Your Writing has earned a place there. I recommend you give the chapters a try and work through them with your next WIP and see if it improves your work.

[Laurie Treacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

(from http://www.readergirlsblog.com/2013/0...)
Many who read this blog may already know I'm a writer and attend many conferences on my beloved craft. I'm also always on the look-out for how-to books since one can never learn too much. The book, Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave by Don McNair, is a valuable resource for all types of writers from newbies to published authors.

It is evident Don McNair knows his stuff. From the first page of his book, his advice is golden. He writes concisely and with humor in an easy to read and understand manner. The book is broken down into three sections and each chapter has exercises to do. Writers may have heard some of the advice in this tome but I don't think we've heard all of the twenty-one steps listed in this volume. I'm a conference and workshop veteran and I hadn't heard about all of these steps. From getting rid of dialogue tags except for "he said" and let's not talk about the dreaded adverbs, this book will certainly help any writer strengthen their novels. Shorten those verbs and watch out for 'foggy phrase' too. I particularly loved the section on 'character filters'. The examples of "marked up" versions and the "final" versions was also an effective tool to view the advice in action. One of my favorites were the Fog Alerts listed throughout.

The information is current and extends past the completion of the manuscript and covers searching for critique partners and professional editors to writing the synopsis and query letters. I used my copy so thoroughly, it's a highlighted, pencil-marked, corner bent, well-used textbook. I even brought this book to my critique group so my writing partners could gleam some of the information as I did (and they thought it was a great book to add to their writing library as well).

Super helpful and precise advice, written with a touch of humor and contains helpful learning exercises and more, Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave by Don McNair is a must have addition for writers. Highly recommended.

[Lins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editor-Proof Your Writing's conversational format makes for a quick read (though the tone, at times, was a little too perky for my taste). The editing strategies are straightforward and easy to understand—you don't have to worry about intimidating grammatical terms here, folks—and the organization of the book makes it easy to find advice on a particular subject.

McNair divides his book into three parts: Part One: Putting Words In, Part Two: Taking Words Out, and Part Three: Sharing Your Words.

Part one serves as a general workshop. The short 10 chapters cover material such as

- properly structuring your story
- keeping your reader interested
- choosing the best point of view
- making sure your scenes pull their weight.

At the end of each chapter there's an assignment to apply what you've learned to your current work-in-progress.

Part two contains McNair's 21 step process for making your writing cleaner and more effective by removing unnecessary words and phrases. The section is replete with editing exercises so you can practice what you've learned.

In part three, Sharing Your Work, there's advice for every level of sharing beginning with how to find a critique partner/group, engaging the services of a professional editor and finally—the grail—submitting your work for publication.

Whether you're just starting out in the writing world or you've been pounding the keyboard for years, I'd recommend this book as an addition to your non-fiction library.

New writers will be awakened to common pitfalls. And everyone else can use the refresher.

- Chaotically Yours - Reads and Recommendations: Editor Proof Your Writing

[Gale Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some writers complain when they get their edits back. I'm not one of them. Well, maybe I groaned a bit when I saw all the blood on my first few books, but I've learned quite a bit since then, and the amount of red has gotten considerably less. I accept the comments and suggestions gratefully because I know the common goal is to produce a book that is the best it can be.
This is a great time to be a writer. There are so many opportunities we didn't have in the past. Small press, self-publishing… But those same opportunities make self-editing even more important. Before submitting and after, we need to refine our manuscripts as much as possible. Don McNair's book makes that a lot easier. When I received an advance copy for review I was in the midst of edits and I worked through them using Editor-Proof Your Writing.
I like the way the material is presented. The lessons are interesting without being overloaded with a lot of theory. I made good use of the twenty-one steps to fog-free writing. Steps such as – use fewer –ing words, change passive voice to active voice, eliminate double verbs and get rid of dialogue tags were very helpful. Do they work? Compare the before and after examples and see for yourself.
It’s not just about the grammar and spelling. There's also good information on critique partners, publishers, and writing the query letter and synopsis. The book helped me produce a more polished story. I highly recommend it. Two thumbs up!

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever thought about writing a book? If so, this is a great book with some sound advice before you send it off to a publisher.

There are three parts to this book:

* Putting words in - hooking your audience, deciding on your point of view (POV), adding conflict, etc.
* Taking words out - using fewer "-ing" words and infinitives, shortening verbs, using active voice rather than a passive voice, etc.
* Sharing your words - how to find critique partners, editors, publishers and agents, and writing a query letter

Each part goes into a lot detail with many examples. There are quizzes at the end of each chapter plus a story to correct to re-enforce the lessons of the chapter.

I enjoyed this book and what I read will make me more conscious of my writing in general and the editing I do at work.

[Gyula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a newbie writer trying to learn the craft. Editing is my weak point, so I purchased this book to learn wisdom from an established editor. It was exactly what I needed and expected.

There is a vast amount of information available on the internet about editing. If you follow writers' blogs you can gather everything you need about editing your manuscript. The problem is it takes a lot of time and a lot of reading. This book is a real time saver, because you can have what you need without wasting time searching and waiting for someone to drop the piece of information you just need.

The book is straightforward and full of advices what to do to tighten your prose and to weed out the words making your writing amateurish.

[Jo Linsdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for both self-publishers and writers that wish to submit their manuscripts to Publishers and agents. It's divided into 3 main sections; "Putting words in", "Taking words out" and "sharing your words".

In this book McNair uses his extensive editing experience to outline his 21 steps for "de-fogging" your manuscript. Every chapter is easy to follow and lays out what you need to do in simple step by step instructions. Each also ends with an assignment so you can put the steps covered into practice.

An excellent resources for writers of all genres.

[Kate Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have completed one of Don's courses (Editor proof your first chapter) and found it to be extremely helpful and am thrilled he's compiled this must have writer's resource. This book is high on my recommend list for any emerging writer who wishes to defog their writing. Don will teach you how to write cleaner and faster paced prose.

[Lonz Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book, an in depth show and tell aide for all writers. I enjoyed this book so much better than attending a writer's workshop. The point behind it is simple changes makes your work presentable. It's a realistic angle, taking out complexities of technique. I recommend this book to all writers, at all phases of their career.

[Susan Swiderski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writers are often unaware of their bad writing habits, and so they end up sabotaging their chances with agents and publishers by continuing to make the same mistakes over and over. McNair, a published author and accomplished editor, kindly shares his expertise to make us more aware of what some of those bad habits are... and how to fix them.

This is an excellent reference book for writers.

[Stina Lindenblatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for all writers. I knew a lot of the information in the book, but when you analyze your chapters with each step, your writing becomes stronger and more concise.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for writers.

[Suzan Lauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great checklist for authors to go through to get rid of crap. I lose about 5-10% of words each chapter, and my work is so much easier to read.

[Sean Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a simple approach on editing that makes it really clear what you need to do. Designed in a way to take on the skill one by one in a bite-sized fashion stops the task from being intimidating.

[Fritz Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though books about correcting one's fatty writing abound, most are simply regurgitations of standard usage manuals that are organized by element (i.e., nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, punctuation, clauses, conditionals, etc.) with little or no new material or improved examples. Those that contain useful content are often written cryptically or even badly, failing to communicate information to readers. And when information is conveyed by these books, their authors often fail to convince readers that they should follow the author's advice.

Don McNair's book does not have such flaws. It differs from usage manuals in its structure and content—organized into 21 different "typical" writing errors, McNair includes only the information most crucial for aspiring writers. As a result, the content is clear, concise, and easy to follow. He provides numerous before-and-after examples plus exercises in each chapter. The book also includes several lists of redundant, wordy, cliched, weak, and clumsy phrases that writers should avoid.

McNair makes several assertions in the text:

1. Most writers believe they are better writers than they really are.
2. Even after a writer's manuscript has received the blessing of critique partners, friends, and family, it will almost always require a moderate to heavy edit by a professional before it will be publishable.
3. Writers often believe their manuscript is ready for editing when it still needs another rewrite.
4. Writers use throwaway adverbs and adjectives, fancy-sounding phrases that are actually cliches, and incorrect or unnecessary dialogue tags.

He makes several others as well. So here's the good news and the bad news. The good—every assertion he makes is absolutely correct. I've seen every single example in my editing work, and often double-digit numbers of them in single manuscripts. The bad—McNair's observations and advice are so direct, and his tone so matter-of-fact, that some writers may be offended or go into defensive mode when they see some of their own errors in his examples. That's a shame, because McNair's book is one of the very few that does not launch into rah-rah mode when addressing the typical skill level of most writers. Writers unable to make that first critical assessment or receive critical feedback constructively will never improve, and rather than sugarcoat such a situation by acceding to the argument that bad writing is misunderstood or that the writer has simply not been "discovered," McNair takes the more direct and truthful route—it's simply bad writing.

On the other hand, McNair's writing adeptly translates complex information so that is understandable even to beginning writers. In the chapter on avoiding unnecessary "-ing" words, for example, he does not talk about participles or gerunds, but rather provides examples of exactly what the problem is, as well as some exceptions. With this simple approach, McNair avoids taking the reader down the rabbit hole of language jargon that most typical readers would not recall or that would confuse them more than it would help. The 21 rules are not random, though—they tend to fall into typical categories such as adverbs, passive phrases, infinitives, and expletives. It's just that McNair made the wise decision to dispense with unnecessary labels for words that readers can see quite clearly in the examples without needing to label them with their grammar equivalents.

I anticipated quibbling with McNair in a few areas, but every bit of his advice is sound. He also provides several anecdotes from his experience editing magazines, books, and corporate PR materials. Undoubtedly, some writers will still choose to disagree with McNair on some fundamental areas of writing, not because he is wrong, but rather because they are unwilling to give up on being right by being wrong. But as McNair notes in his book, they'll never be published by a big house (for those who are striving for that outcome).

One of very few books on writing (specifically for writers of books, but the advice here is relevant to virtually all writing) that is easy to understand and can have a dramatic and fairly immediate impact on one's writing skills.