Topic 1 in the Help! I Can't Afford an Editor Series
As a high school writing teacher, I taught my students to use the 6+1 Trait® Writing model (1). This tool identifies seven different components in any piece of writing:
In my classes, I used a rubric to help my students identify which components needed the most work. I’ve modified it to be useful for self-editing. You can access and print the free PDF of this rubric, here.
When a self-edit feels daunting, focusing on the 6+1 Traits® can make strengthening your manuscript a more manageable task.
Getting Started
Plan to evaluate your manuscript for each of the seven key topics. If you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to plan on reading your document seven times, each time focusing on a different topic. I recommend doing this over seven days—the more you read something the more likely you are to skip over mistakes, because your brain knows what you meant to say. So, stepping away from your work before you edit not only gives you a break, but it helps you become a better self-editor.
Content and Ideas are the heart of your manuscript—this is what you have to say. You want your reader to understand it.
To evaluate your content/ideas, ask yourself:
What is my topic/message?
Will my reader be able to tell what I’m writing about?
Do I tend to go off on tangents?
If so, consider eliminating these.
Do I present enough information to support my topic/message?
Could any aspect be clarified with more information, sources, or with better examples?
Do I predict any questions/arguments my reader may have and answer them?
Could my topic or message be harmful or disrespectful to a particular reader or group?
If so, have I sought out sensitivity readers?
Have I accurately reported all facts?
Have I cited all necessary sources?
Will my reader walk away with important insights?
Organization gives writing a sense of purpose and structure. Begin by hooking your reader. Add details throughout the manuscript and use transitions to help move the reader from one idea to the next as you build toward a conclusion.
In a first draft, it isn’t uncommon for the same idea to sprout at different points in the writing. As you revise, move sections around or consolidate information so that the manuscript maintains clear organization.
To evaluate your organization, ask yourself:
Does my introduction:
hook the reader?
provide a clear purpose?
give clues about what is to come?
Does everything connect?
Do all my ideas flow from beginning to end?
Have I included superfluous information that could be removed?
Do section and sub-section headers provide guidance?
Are they clear and meaningful?
Does my conclusion:
balance my introduction?
strengthen the main idea?
effectively bring the story/writing to an end?
Do I tell things in an order that makes sense?
NOTE: sometimes chronologically isn’t the best way to tell a story.
If something is unclear:
how could it be clarified?
would rearranging its order clarify it?
Voice is the personality of the writer (or the narrator) coming through on the page. It is what gives the writing a unique flavour. In a work with strong voice, the reader will get a sense that someone real is on the page.
To evaluate the voice of your work, ask yourself:
How will my readers feel after reading this?
Is my writing interesting, informative, and powerful?
Will the reader want to continue reading after each:
sentence?
paragraph?
section?
chapter?
Does the narrator come across as an authority on this topic?
Is my enthusiasm for the topic clear and purposeful?
Do I really like this manuscript?
If so, WHAT do you like about it? (What is your favourite part?)
If not, WHY not?
NOTE: If you don’t like it, chances are neither will your reader. Identify why you don’t like it and make changes so that you do like it.
Word Choice is what makes writing sharp. It gives an exactness to details and helps paint memorable pictures in the reader’s mind. Choose words that make the writing sound natural and precise.
To evaluate word choice, ask yourself:
Are the same words used repetitively?
If so, are there other options that would be more precise?
Note: Be judicious in your use of a thesaurus (i.e., will your reader understand what your words mean?).
Have I used some words that I really love?
Do I use any derogatory language?
If so, did I choose my words with intention?
Do I use words that are exact?
Do I use vocabulary related to the content area?
Do I use jargon?
If so, do I define it?
Do I use verbs that are:
active?
powerful?
energetic?
Could I exchange any “to be” verbs with something more precise?
Sentence Fluency is what makes writing sound good. There are many possible ways to write a sentence correctly. Typically, one or two possibilities will sound better than others.
To evaluate your sentence fluency, ask yourself:
Does my writing sound smooth when I read it aloud?
Can my writing be easily read?
Does the writing flow seamlessly from sentence to sentence?
Does my writing have a sense of rhythm?
Do I use sentences of varying lengths (some long, some short)?
If my sentences are choppy, how can I revise to make them more eloquent?
Do I use well-chosen beginnings?
Do my sentences begin in different ways?
Do I use well-timed transitions?
Conventions are the rules of language. They are the common patterns of grammar, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and capitalization that readers come to expect. When conventions are well-done, a reader likely won’t notice them; but when poorly used, conventions can distract or confuse a reader from the writing and message.
To evaluate your conventions, ask yourself:
Have I closely examined every sentence for capitalization and punctuation?
Are all conventions correctly and necessarily used (e.g., semicolons, ellipses, dashes, italics)?
Have I used spell-check?
Have I used spelling consistently?
What style of English am I using (e.g., Canadian, American, British)?
Do I omit any conventions?
Do I have any run-on sentences?
Have I used the serial comma?
NOTE: There is great debate about the need and use of the serial comma. I fall firmly into the “Use It!” camp. If you choose not to, be sure its omission does not add confusion to your writing.
Could another person read and understand my writing?
If my piece has sources, have I cited them all correctly and included all pertinent information?
Could my reader track the sources easily?
Have I consistently used a style (e.g., APA, CMOS).
Am I ready for a professional editor to examine my work?
Presentation is about the overall appearance of the work—the aesthetics of the document. This includes font, spacing, margins, headers and titles, and any graphics. If your work is ready to submit, ensure that you have followed any guidelines set by your intended publisher (journals, magazines, and publishing houses, even agents, often require certain formatting elements).
To evaluate the presentation of your manuscript, ask yourself:
Is the font the same style and size throughout?
If not, why not?
Are the margins consistent throughout?
Have I set a consistent indentation for paragraphs?
Does the spacing make my work easier to read?
Have I followed any formatting guidelines?
Are my headers consistent?
Do my visuals support my ideas and clarify the message in the document?
Do maps have keys or legends?
Are the keys/legends big enough to read without interfering with the map itself?
Are the font and spelling in the keys/legends consistent with the rest of the text?
Are tables and graphs easy to understand?
Does the spelling in the table match the spelling in the text?
Do all tables, figures, and maps have captions?
Write on!
Use the free rubric to help you evaluate your writing. After you’ve been through your manuscript and evaluated it on each of these key topics, ask a friend or beta reader to do the same.
Other posts in the Help! I Can’t Afford an Editor Series:
1. Help! I Can’t Afford an Editor—A Series to Help You Self-Edit
3. A String of Prepositions (coming soon)
4. Be Concise (coming soon)
5. Structure and Length (coming soon)
6. Relationships: Sentences and Transitional Words and Phrases (coming soon)
7. Make a point! (coming soon)
8. Antecedents (coming soon)
9. Subject/Verb Tenses (coming soon)
10. Read it Aloud (coming soon)
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The 6+1 Trait® writing model was developed by Education Northwest, who offers a host of services on how to use the model, how to teach the model, and how to score it in a classroom. Detailed information can be found at the Education Northwest website: https://educationnorthwest.org/traits