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/

Double spacing after periods:
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

Character Motivation:
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"

Opening lines:
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/

Participle phrases / ING Constructs / Dangling Modifiers:
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.”

Tension via sentence structure:
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-ingredients

https://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 Women

Important feminist concepts to be aware of

Common Microaggressions About African Americans

Writing with Color