Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition - 2nd Edition by Renni Browne & Dave King (Paperback)

About the Book

"A superb tutorial for anyone wanting to learn from pros how to polish fiction writing with panache."--"Library Journal."

Book Synopsis

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the essential editing techniques of the trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.

In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the professional book editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.

This essential guide for writers teaches you how to:

• Show, Don't Tell: Master the crucial difference between narrative summary and immediate scenes to draw readers into the world you've created.
• Sharpen Your Dialogue: Move beyond mechanics to eliminate formality, find each character's unique voice, and make every conversation advance your story.
• Strengthen Point of View: Learn to control narrative distance and maintain a consistent viewpoint to build a powerful, intimate connection with your reader.
• Refine Character and Pacing: Unobtrusively weave in characterization and exposition, and use proportion to control your story's rhythm and flow.
• Develop a Professional Voice: Identify and eliminate amateurish habits, from clichés to weak verbs, to give your writing a sophisticated, polished edge.

From the Back Cover

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories. Renni Browne and Dave King are two of the country's best-known independent editors. In their years as president and senior editor of The Editorial Department, they have edited the work of many writers - including bestselling authors - before the manuscripts went out to agents or publishers. Over half the manuscripts worked on to completion eventually got published, and over half that number were first novels. In this book Browne and King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own manuscript, in order to bring your manuscript to its fullest potential. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, interior monologue and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert fiction editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited. Every chapter contains hands-on exercises to help you apply these techniques to your own work. And illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist George Booth keep everything in perspective.

Review Quotes

"An entire book on improving what you've written is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, which comes from professional editors who know their stuff." - Los Angeles Times Book Review

"My students--including the published novelists--ought to read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers once a year, the Show and Tell chapter even more often." Sol Stein, author of Stein on Writing - Sol Stein, author of Stein on Writing