How to Edit your Short Story: Micro Blog

Congratulations!

You have written a story. But is it the best version of itself?

If writing is bringing a story to life, editing is making sure that it lives.

Here are simple things to keep in mind while editing your short story-

1. Don’t edit immediately

Always remember to come back to editing with a fresh perspective. If you start editing right after you finish your first draft, your judgement will be clouded with exhilaration, adrenaline and fatigue. Give yourself as much time as you need to come to it with an editing perspective.

2. Have a trusted friend read it aloud

Having someone else read your story aloud not only helps you catch obvious errors, but also helps ensure that the dialogues and scenes are coming out the way you intended them to the readers.

3. Check for inconsistencies

If there is one thing publishers and editors hate, it’s inconsistent stories and characters. Unless your narrator/character is purposefully a liar or a conman, there is no need for him to present inconsistent notions in the story. You cannot have a man say he is from Australia in the first paragraph only for him to return to his hometown, Virginia, in the last.

Focusing on Literature and Lifestyle of the Urban Youth of the Country, LitGleam is a monthly magazine, an intrinsic part of BlueRose Publishers.

Within its pages, our readers find provocative essays on literature and lifestyle, guidance for getting published and pursuing writing careers, in-depth profiles of poets, fiction writers, and writers of creative nonfiction, and conversations among fellow professionals.