
Hello dear readers. It has been a minute since I've posted a new YouTube video. But I'm back! Today, I'm talking about some of the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit, and how you can avoid them.
I've been editing books for 20 years, 10 of those as a freelancer. It is my raison d'etre, and the thing I love most in the world. I edit from one to three books per month, depending upon their length, complexity, etc. This is how I make my living and I thank my lucky stars every day for it!
There are definitely some things that I have seen writers do over and over again through the years. In my video, I tackle these. From the impulse to dump all your research on a reader at once in historical fiction, to dry dialogue tags, to having one of your characters speak what subconsciously you know as the writer is wrong with a scene, to writing memoir as if it is a book report, to whether you should put one or two spaces after a period (it's one. This is non-negotiable. Sorry, Twitter)—I have advice.
So take a gander at the video, and as ever, let me know what questions you have. Tweet me, email me, or comment below!
As always, happy reading, keep writing, and stay tuned!
—E.