Reading As An Editor
I’ve just started reading The Forest Awakens once again, preparing myself for its first real rewrite. I wrote a while back that based on reactions, both from agents and friends, I figured out areas the book was lacking. What I’ve noticed is that there is a difference between reading for enjoyment and to prepare for a new draft. I thought I’d share a few of the things I look for.
- Watch dialogue closely to make sure nobody is saying things that don’t make sense.
- Be honest about which parts seem slow to you, what can you do to liven them up?
- Prepare to scrap! I’m scrapping all of chapter one.
- Find places that are description driven instead of character driven. (keep consistent, whichever you are going for)
- Writing for pre-teen or teen? Make sure kids will connect with your protagonists. This is something I’m going to be paying a lot of attention to, people tend to think I wrote it more for adults.
- Make sure no names are too similar, same for locations, ages, etc.
- Also make sure places and people don’t change names in the middle!
Those are some of the things I pay the most attention to. Feel free to add your own if you’d like! I’ve enjoyed getting to read my book on my new kindle. It’s very fitting in a way that this is the first book I’m reading on it. 
