Resources
Here's hoping this makes editing life a little easier.
Formatting
Capitalization:https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp
Colons - improperly used:
“They’re used extensively in technical writing. However, for fiction, they are unnecessary and downright annoying. Fiction is supposed to be fun and easy, not complicated and technical. Remember, your writing should be at the elementary school level, to about the 6th grade level. Long sentences, especially long sentences complicated with colons and semi-colons can jerk the reader right out of the story, and the mood. Wherever you have a colon or semi-colon, change it to a period or restructure the sentence. ”
https://fredrayworth.com/2011/07/20/“and”-“but”-the-colon-and-semi-colon-in-fiction/
https://slate.com/technology/2011/01/two-spaces-after-a-period-why-you-should-never-ever-do-it.html
Ellipses should be used sparingly:
https://www.clarabush.com/2014/10/23/ellipses-guidelines-for-their-safe-use-in-fiction-self-publishing-a-science-fiction-ebook-or-any-book/
http://writersrelief.com/2013/04/05/harness-the-power-of-the-ellipsis/
En/Em Dashes:
http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/091502enem.htm
Exclamation Points!
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/exclamation-points/
Standard Manuscript Format:
https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html
Two Spaces after Periods:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html
Technique & Grammar
Anticlimactic Conclusions:https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-writing-mistakes-pt-46-anticlimactic-endings/
Cause & Effect / Stimulus & Response
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-are-you-2/
https://www.yeahwrite.org/?p=2980
https://www.critiquecircle.com/blog.asp?blogID=207
Character Choreography:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-describing-character-movements/
Character Overload on the Page:
https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/41740/do-hard-to-pronounce-names-break-immersion
https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/37699/how-many-characters-are-too-many
http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-i-manage-large-casts-of-characters.html
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/writing-better-character-goals/
Clichés:
https://litreactor.com/columns/top-10-storytelling-cliches-that-need-to-disappear-forever
https://litreactor.com/columns/cliche-the-literary-default
https://litreactor.com/essays/chuck-palahniuk/learning-from-clich%C3%A9s%E2%80%A6-then-leaving-them-behind
Conflict / Tension Issues:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/one-dimensional-conflict/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-48/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-52-story-conflict/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/writing-mistakes-17-character-purpose/
https://screencraft.org/2014/05/13/ways-create-conflict-story-script-screenplay/
https://www.ian-irvine.com/for-writers/article-5-how-to-create-conflict/
https://thewritepractice.com/creating-conflict/
https://www.nownovel.com/blog/create-tension-writing/
Description--You're overdoing it:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-much-description/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/purple-prose/
Dialogue - Wooden:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/repetitive-dialogue/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/contractions-in-dialogue/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-goody-goody-characters/
Dialogue - As You Know Bob...
https://authorkristenlamb.com/2013/12/do-you-have-as-you-know-bob-syndrome-how-writers-can-butcher-dialogue-how-to-fix-it/
Dialogue - Weak Dialogue:
https://theeditorsblog.net/2011/11/03/bad-dialogue-bad-bad-dialogue/
https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/5-tips-for-editing-dialogue
Disembodied body parts:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/mistakes-24/
http://maggievillines.com/2015/10/are-your-disembodied-body-parts-doing-the-impossible/
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2012/09/breakaway-body-parts-are-your.html
Flat characters:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-51-one-dimensional-characters/
https://writersalliance.org/flat-and-round-characters-in-fiction/
Filler details that lead nowhere:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-writing-mistakes-37/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-35-random-settings-characters-povs/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/unnecessary-scenes/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-54/
Filter words/phrases:
https://annerallen.com/2017/06/filter-words-and-phrases-to-avoid-in-writing/
https://writeitsideways.com/are-these-filter-words-weakening-your-fiction/
http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2012/05/21/filter-words/
https://theeditorsblog.net/2012/05/12/keep-readers-close-to-action-and-emotion/
Infodumps:
http://jamigold.com/2012/12/four-tips-for-fixing-the-infamous-info-dump/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-50/
https://ellenbrockediting.com/2014/07/03/novel-boot-camp-lecture-3-how-to-avoid-info-dumping/
Internalization heavy prose:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-36/
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2018/02/write-introspection-well-show-just-enough/
Internalization Missing:
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-how-to-spot/
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/03/hello-is-your-protag-home-getting-most.html
See "THE PROTAGONIST IS THINKING TOO LITTLE"
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/boring-opening-lines/
https://litreactor.com/columns/what-joy-williams-and-denis-johnson-can-teach-us-about-the-art-of-first-sentences
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-55/
Passive Voice:
http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/passive-voice/
https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/11057/fiction-novels-active-vs-passive-voice
https://www.nownovel.com/blog/writers-tip-avoid-passive-voice/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/participle-phrases/#
http://theeditorsblog.net/2014/09/22/revisiting-dangling-modifiers/ http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/01/writing-basics-pardon-me-but-your.html
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/participle-phrases/
Plot trouble:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-flat-plots/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-overly-complex-plots/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-57-dead-end-relationships/
POV inconsistencies:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-writing-mistakes-pt-41/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-goody-goody-characters-2/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/pov-problems/
Purple Prose:
https://litreactor.com/columns/storyville-avoiding-purple-prose-in-your-fiction
Said dialogue tags:
http://thewritepractice.com/dialogue-tags/
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/keep-it-simple-keys-to-realistic-dialogue-part-ii
https://www.novel-writing-help.com/dialogue-tags.html
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-how-not-to/
She said v. said she:
https://www.scribophile.com/academy/he-said-she-said-dialog-tags-and-using-them-effectively
Skip down to “She said or said she?"
Showing versus Telling:
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/showing-vs-telling-in-your-writing
https://www.autocrit.com/editing/support/showing-vs-telling-indicators/https://litreactor.com/columns/get-rid-of-those-modifiers
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-mistakes-explaining/
https://litreactor.com/essays/chuck-palahniuk/nuts-and-bolts-%E2%80%9Cthought%E2%80%9D-verbs?fbclid=IwAR1oCLmPyXQW43nxx0puCGbCPIgZt-alaTdfyjODJoO1Bhy9XoyTwNWc5bI
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-writing-mistakes-33/
https://litreactor.com/columns/sixth-sense-settings-writing-rich-descriptive-scenes
https://litreactor.com/columns/storyville-revealing-character
Stakes aren't high enough:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/story-stakes/
https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/5-surefire-ways-raise-stakes-story/
https://www.well-storied.com/blog/raise-the-stakes-in-your-story
"Suddenly"
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-why/
Sentence - too lengthy:
http://writersrelief.com/2011/06/24/sentence-length-the-power-placing-periods/
“Today’s reader tends to favor short sentence lengths—clear and direct writing rather than flowery, convoluted prose. It’s a busy world full of information, and simple, easy-to-read sentences with powerful verbs are appealing. Sentence length can have an enormous effect on your readers.”
http://writersrelief.com/blog/2011/06/sentence-length-the-power-placing-periods/
https://www.nownovel.com/blog/suspense-writing-7-hacks/
https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/truncated-sentences-use/
Unrealistic Characters:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-how-to-spot/
http://penultimateword.com/editing-blogs/characterization-in-fiction-writing-realistic-character-reactions/
Vague Writing:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-why-vague/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-is-nothin/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-mistakes-characters-lack-solid-story-goals/
Vanishing Setting:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-case-of/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-mistakes-series-pt-47/
https://litreactor.com/columns/storyville-dynamic-settings
Voice:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-mistakes-one-symptom-weak-character-voice/
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/06/what-makes-fiction-good-its-mostly-the-voice/276742/
https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/tips-for-creating-voice-in-your-writing
Weak verbs:
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-are-your/
Withholding information:
https://medium.com/@verakurian/withholding-information-is-not-a-good-writing-technique-994caf6a0761
“The way in which information is kept from the reader is key. Let’s look at ways plot events can be communicated from narrator to reader.
• The reader knows what the character knows. Remember the television series Lost? There were strange occurrences that left the audience baffled for many episodes. Viewers accepted being in the dark because the characters were in the dark, too. We were all in it together.
• The reader knows more than the character knows. This option can be very suspenseful. Think about the film Psycho. We know Norman Bates is approaching the shower, but Marion Crane doesn’t.
• The character knows more than the reader knows. This is when the danger of frustration and confusion arises from dangling that carrot in front of the reader.”
http://jacquelincangro.com/withholding-information-from-reader/
Big Picture Story Elements
https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-5-essential-story-ingredientshttps://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions-magic-and-magicians/#0.4_tech
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/stories-that-begin-too-early/
https://datayze.com/readability-analyzer.php
Twelve Steps of Intimacy
http://www.erichstauffer.com/pop-culture/dr-james-dobsons-twelve-steps-of-intimacy
Watching a Loved One Die:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwi5vKyHvuriAhWaGDQIHRH_CxAQtwIINTAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkYWlCGbbDGI&usg=AOvVaw203vnY17TfvIrqJm9tCE8N
https://www.elitedaily.com/life/watching-loved-one-pass-away/1308770
Representation
Dainty WomenImportant feminist concepts to be aware of
Common Microaggressions About African Americans
Writing with Color
