How to Revise Your Writing (& Awesome Editing Symbols You Should Know)

Maybe I'm a nerd, but I love the editing process. I love recasting sentences to make them stronger, choosing specific words to make dialogue sing, correcting grammar until it's fit to print and drawing little squibblies all over the page (mainly because I like the way squibblies look). Honestly, I use editing marks so much that sometimes I get bored with the usual suspects and make up my own.

Here is a list of Well-Known Editing Symbols, just in case you aren't familiar:

Here is a list of the Brian A. Klems Lesser-Known Editing Symbols Worksheet:

(Get more Tips on Revising Your Work: 3 Easy-To-Use Revision Techniques)

If you need help revising your work, check out these excellent articles filled with advice on how to turn your good manuscript into a great manuscript:

—Revisions: What Every Writer Should Know
—The Revision Process: How I Prepared My Book for Publication
—6 Keys to Revising Your Fiction
—Revision Checklist (via agent-turned-author Nathan Bransford)

And finally, if you want to really amp up your manuscript to make sure agents read past page one, consider downloading:
70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes

P.S.—According to my wife, there's no "maybe" in the sentence "maybe I'm a nerd." Such is the life of a writer.

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