The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

by Bucket Siler

This comprehensive, do-it-yourself editing guide walks fiction writers through the process of editing their draft on the story, scene, and sentence level. Broken into five intuitive sections, Siler draws on years of experience as a self-taught writer and professional editor to teach fiction writers of all levels how to assess their story and fix common problems so they can take control of their work, delight readers, and ultimately become their own best editors in the process.

Genres: Writing

382 pages, ebook

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Bucket Siler is a fiction writer and freelance editor. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop, and has been a Vermont Studio Center fellow and the recipient of a Fulcrum Fund Award. Her stories have appeared in Atticus Review, The Offing, Bracken, and Storm Cellar. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in New Mexico.

Reviews

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this cover to cover, because I would rather dip in and out using the parts I need. The introduction already gave me a lot of insight into editing things yourself. By using this I've now done my first ever proper second draft! And I think the results turned out great, I definitely felt like I knew what I was doing by following Siler's advice. I learned a lot, too.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to up their writing game and has never learnt to edit. A lot of the content also works as general writing tips because it goes into why things work and why they don't.

Can't wait to keep learning and improving using this!

[K. M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the authors tumblr and pre-ordered this book when I heard of its creation. I’m not disappointed. It’s an incredibly thorough reference book on developmental editing, chalk full of examples and told in the same easy manner as her blog. Highly recommend this book for those who are thinking about developmentally editing their manuscripts or even those who are interested in editing as a profession, in both cases it gives you a idea of what you are up against.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid reference book for when I finally finish my manuscript.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is changing my life and transforming my manuscript. There's elements of narrative structure I've never understood like I do now. I'm very impressed and excited.