You did it! Holding a full draft in your hands is an accomplishment. The first big step on the road to publishing your story. Editing courses offer insight and clarity for you, as the writer. And you’ll produce a structurally powerful story for your readers.
How great is that?
As you check out editing courses and options online, you discover the next steps for your draft. This is a moment that can become overwhelming as you see the road ahead with clarity.
Why Take Editing Courses for Authors?
You have your manuscript written. How do you know you have a great story? What about plot holes? Will readers be swept into the story and leave the mundane world behind—if only for a few hours? What about editing? What is editing?
Before you rush to print, or worse, put that story into a drawer, remember how far you have already come! While there are still some steps before you may be ready to publish, you can do this. All you need is knowledge, a plan, and some support. Let’s start with knowledge.
If you are self-publishing, editing steps are essential to make your book the best it can be before you go to print.
You want to give your readers a sparkling story.
If you are going the traditional publishing route, these steps will ensure you bring your strongest story to the agents or editors. The more polished the story, the more quickly the publishers will get to print and the less money they will spend on preparing it. You want to bring them a polished diamond.
Readers want a well-told story.
Even more than correct grammar or beautiful prose, they want to be swept away and deeply immersed in another world—whatever genre they love.
How do you know your story is structurally sound enough to capture your readers? With a structural story edit. This is where you start. Structural story editing looks at plot, characters, and setting, as well as the flow of your story. This edit evaluates the overall structure and each scene. With a deep story edit, you know you have a story that readers will love.
With the knowledge you have a strong story at this level, each next editing step will enrich your reader’s experience of your book. These steps are the icing and decorations on the yummiest cake.
How do you do a great structural story edit yourself?
With a plan and support.
Before we look at how to do that in a timely way, let’s check out the next editing steps.
The icing includes both a line edit and a copyedit. In a line edit, you are focusing on each sentence for tone, style, and consistency. Copyediting focuses on correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The clean copy after these last changes will ensure errors do not distract the reader.
The final twirl of the cake plate is proofreading. After formatting and before you hit print, proofreading ensures the book is error-free, clean and correct.
Line editing, copyediting and proofreading are all steps after you know your story is structurally sound. As a writer, the first editing courses you need will make you a great structural self-editor and help you put those revision notes into action.
So, how do you develop all the skills you need to be a great self-editor? Knowledge, a plan, and support. Fictionary offers all of these for the deep structural edit that will make your story a page-turner. The Fictionary Live! editing courses include focused instruction and support to edit and revise your novel in six weeks.
What is Fictionary Live!?
Fictionary Live! is an ongoing program of editing courses courses offered by Fictionary’s amazing team of Certified StoryCoach Editors. Students gain access to a structured approach to editing. Using Fictionary’s groundbreaking StoryTeller software and live, expert guidance, you’ll have all the tools and support you need to transform a mediocre manuscript into a bestselling novel.
You’ll be invited to online working sessions with highly experienced Fictionary Certified Instructors and a small cohort of authors. The sessions are hands-on and highly practical. In every meeting, you’ll work on a specific element of your story under their expert guidance and your story will improve.
No pre-recorded videos here—we will be live on zoom, answering your questions, and helping you make your manuscript stronger.
3 Tips for Choosing Editing Courses Online
Tip 1: Match your editing stage!
Are you beginning the structural editing process?
Do you know if you have a story?
Look for editing courses that help you answer that question. If you have a revision plan, look for a course that supports you with a hands-on approach. Fictionary Live! offers separate six-week courses to edit your novel and to revise your novel.
Do you know you have a structurally powerful story and are ready to line edit?
Look for tools and support that will focus on tightening your prose without losing your voice. Are you ready to really examine the grammar, spelling, and punctuation? Use the tools at hand and be sure to understand any rules you are breaking. Doing the line edit and copyedit yourself will enrich and inform your writing in the next book.
For all levels of editing, consider getting outside eyes after you have done your edit.
This can be a professional or a knowledgeable writing friend. The point is, having someone else examine your work after your edit could give you even more insights into how you could polish the work. For example, you give a structural editor who your self-edited and revised draft. Then you’ll be able to focus on the fine details of the edit.
Coupled with your knowledge gained through self-editing and revision, a professional editor’s summary letter and notes will give you even more insights. You’ll get an increased understanding of story structure that can make this book, and the next ones, even better.
Tip 2: Find a course that will push you to be a better editor and writer
Choose a class that will support and challenge you in your learning and development as a self-editor.
As you examine the online offerings, be sure you know your instructor will answer questions (or offer extended explanations).
Will you be able to take the sessions more than once?
We offer Fictionary Live! at various times and you can take as many of our editing courses as you want. After attending each class, you can ask questions and attend working sessions to help support you in both editing and revising your manuscript.
Tip 3: Look for support and kindness
Editing your own work can feel lonely and hard. Look for a class that offers a supportive cohort who understands the struggle and the accomplishment. Find a community that is open to helping you and helping others.
Through practicing your new editing skills and insights with another writer’s work, you deepen your understanding of story structure. As you work through your revisions, discussions and sharing can open new ideas and ways of integrating your planned changes.
Whatever you choose, find kindness.
Editing your story requires that you be kind to yourself, finding power in your writing as well as opportunities to tighten the structure. Every revision that makes your story stronger is a kindness to your readers.
You deserve a community that will support you in being kind to yourself, your readers and others.
Kindness is key at Fictionary. You’ll find all the support and kindness you need to make your story shine.
Introducing Fictionary Live!: The Best Editing Class Online
What is Fictionary Live?
Fictionary Live! is a suite of editing courses created to help writers become strong self-editors. Fictionary Live! offers knowledgeable instructors teaching focused classes in real time.
Best of all, students work on their own manuscripts as they learn.
Why Fictionary Live! is the Best Online Editing Class
As a writer, you may be unsure about the advantages of learning to do a full structural edit.
With Fictionary Live! you will look at your manuscript as an editor. With this distance and training, you will create a revision plan using 38 story elements and insights. Then, the revision class will help you put your revision plan into action. In the end, you will have confidence that your story is structurally sound.
6 Weeks to Edit a Novel
One of the hardest things about self-editing is stepping away from your manuscript. As a writer, every word has become precious. Letting go can be a challenge. This course can help!
You are an editor.
Banishing imposter syndrome and editing pushback opens you to seeing the strengths and the opportunities within your manuscript. Leaving your writer hat behind for the six weeks you take to edit gives you the freedom to consider different options and possibilities for your story.
Beginning with an examination of the overall structure through an analysis of the story arc, the classes move to a close examination of 38 elements looking at character, plot, and setting in every scene.
The biggest bonus may be the time you save by focusing on editing only – no revising during the course.
After only six weeks, each student develops a personal revision plan.
6 Weeks to Revise a Novel
Pages of overall structural revisions and in-depth scene notes can be daunting. How do you put these ideas into action? Where can motivation and support come from in the solitary pursuit of revision?
Fictionary Live! has a revision course that is here to help. Each week, an insightful Fictionary Live! Instructor will guide and support the revision process. All this while you learn with other students.
Not only will you know you have explored all aspects of your revision plan, but you will do it in a way that enhances and celebrates your voice and story. Guidance, kindness, and accountability make the revision process more fun than you could ever imagine.
Take a free trial of Fictionary Live! today
Courses for Editing FAQs
What else does Fictionary Live! Offer?
Fictionary Live! offers a wide range of courses that include 6 Weeks to Outline a Novel and 6 Weeks to Outline a Scene. With these classes, you will discover how a framework can open your creativity and give you confidence that you are starting with a strong structure that will keep your readers glued to the page.
Fictionary Live! Instructors and classes are available to support you and your story – from concept to structurally sound story. Even better? There are new classes being added all the time!
There are so Many Online Editing Courses… How Can I Choose?
Choosing the right course for you will depend on what you need and where you are on your writing journey. Ideally, you will find a course that will:
- Help you see where your manuscript and story are right now – and how to make it even better
- Meet your needs for time and money spent improving your knowledge and skills
- Offer training, support, and guidance as well as motivation
- Be flexible to meet your changing needs and different manuscripts
The editing and revising classes in Fictionary Live! are flexible. They offer support and guidance for you and your manuscript from early drafts to strong stories.
What Makes an Online Editing Course Good?
A good editing course will teach you the underlying structure of a story. It will give you the knowledge and skills to understand how to improve your story.
A great online editing course will give you support and practice as you integrate your learning into your manuscript. It will have a community spirit to keep you motivated through the editing and revision process.
When you look for the editing course that is right for you, consider Fictionary Live! In just six weeks, you’ll get the:
- Understanding
- Support
- And encouragement
To create a personal revision plan and to implement it—giving you a story readers love.
Conclusion: Editing Courses
Why learn to self-edit?
Editing courses can take your current manuscript and your future writing to the next level.
Knowing you can step away from your work and create an objective, actionable revision plan gives you confidence.
Revising brings you back to using your writing passion to implement your plan. The actions in the plan will spark your creativity! With the knowledge from your editing course and your revisions, you will know you’ve created a structurally strong story readers will love,
And that is priceless.
Ready to take a trial of Fictionary Live!?
We’d love to have you tae Fictionary Live! for a spin. We can’t wait to help you get your novel over the finish line!
Article Written by Lisa Taylor
Stories are powerful. Through my experience as an educator and librarian, I’ve explored how stories work and supported writers in finding their voices and honing their craft.
As a Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor, I offer a thorough, objective structural story edit that honours your voice, recognises and celebrates your skill, and offers clear, actionable ideas on ways to make your story shine even more. You can reach me through the Fictionary Online Community.