So exactly how do I self edit my writing?

I have written, re-written and totally scrapped to start fresh, how many of you out there are in the same boat? It’s rough, yeah, but the scariest part for me was facing the monumental task of self-editing my own work. I had no idea how to self edit my writing, I actually wish there was a good free self editing software package that I could use so that I don’t have to edit my writing. There are a few options out there, Grammarly, and the editing software at Wealthy Affiliate are both good examples of capable editors. You still need to proof-read the finalized copy but they catch the bulk of the issues that come up. Enough of hoping and cheating as it were, when all else fails, you still need to edit the damned manuscript before you are willing to hand it off to anybody else for anything. We self editing fiction writers are a special breed of insecure, so the million dollar question is how to self edit your writing?

There’s a couple of consistent steps across the whole spectrum given that this is fiction writing we’re usually talking about. Even non-fiction can benefit from these points, but non-fiction is a different beast. You’re usually not so far into “The Zone” with non-fiction that you can’t self edit on the fly as it were. So in general (since I can’t know what will work for any single one of you) here’s what to do for the best possible results.