Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King

Another staple for your writing shelf.

Back cover Blurb:

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 stores.

In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the 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.

Okay, by now you know I love writing exercises. I believe they are such a great way to learn the craft of writing. This book tackles some of the most common fiction writing problems. The authors offer ample writing exercises to seal-in what you've learned with each chapter.

Still not convinced? Maybe you say, "Oh, come on, Debra! When I do those exercises I never know if I've done them correctly."

In this book, these two authors go a step further and actually include the correct answers to all the exercises listed.

The chapters in which I felt particularly drawn to were point of view, interior monologue, easy beats, and voice. I definitely can say I walked away from this book with newer insights into my craft.

On the downside, one specific aspect, in which I cringed while reading, was the constant and somewhat lengthy use of examples from other author's work. I found myself skipping over the examples to read the rest of the lesson.

In closing, I feel this book was worth every penny for it's instruction and insightful revelation into what editor's want in a manuscript.

I give this book 4 stars.