9 Plot Hole Proof Self-Editing Tips for Fantasy Writers
Bella Rose Emmorey
book editor, rogue behaviorist, digital marketer, writer, brand builder, plant aunt, and cheese enthusiast.
This is not your run-of-the-mill blog post about combing through your manuscript. It’s specific to self-editing tips for fantasy writers because folks playing in this genre have a few more areas to be aware of.
Everyone will find their own methods to self-edit, and you’d be wise to learn your strengths and weaknesses as a writer to pinpoint areas of increased attention.
That said, this guide will help you identify what to spend more time on in the self-editing phase as a fantasy writer.
Basic Self-Editing Tips for Any Genre
This portion will be quick, because you can find this info all over the web. They’re the basics for $ self-editing a book$ and should be considered:
- Change the font: This is a quick hack that can help you see your manuscript with fresh eyes. That and…
- Rest the ‘script: Don’t start editing immediately to keep the writing new-to-you.
- Cut filler words: “Just”, “very”, “really”, “so”, “basically” and the like. You can look up a list of filler words and determine which are just unnecessary.
- Hone in on segments: Scenes, chapters, parts. Narrow the focus to one at a time to ensure all pieces are working together. Is the scene set up well and have the appropriate structure? Does the chapter include necessary scenes? Do the parts have cohesion among them?
- Cut redundancies: Phrases you tend to overuse, words that are already known (in “she swallowed the bile back down” cut “back” because we know how bile works and going “down” is already going back to where it was).
This is not an exhaustive list, but necessary self-editing tips for fantasy writers before we get into the genre-specific advice.
Self-Editing Tips for Fantasy Writers to Avoid Continuity Issues
By far the biggest issue in unsavory fantasy stories tends to be the continuity issues. Plot holes run amok when you have so much worldbuilding, magic, and characters to keep track of.
Not to mention the phrasing and language should you choose to use a specific style and tone.
These self-editing tips for fantasy writers will give you specific areas to focus on so you can avoid $ common pitfalls$ that lead to lackluster ratings.
1. Take a break (plot the next one!)
It was mentioned above but it deserves a place here, too. Fantasy is one you want to read with new eyes. Meaning, as the writer who spent so long worldbuilding, outlining, and plotting, you know your work really well.
Not providing a certain detail early on because you already know it can really confuse a new reader. It’s important to create distance so you can spot those errors. And it’s always fun to read stuff you forgot writing.
2. Keep track of lore
Depending on the extent of your worldbuilding, it’ll be necessary to track the lore and other details, like locations, flora, fauna, magic capabilities per character, and the like. Many softwares, like NovelPad, have built-in features that help with this.
But really, you can use anything that makes the most sense for you depending on your fantasy novel’s scope. For more comprehensive worldbuilding, I also keep a spreadsheet with various tabs:
3. Be consistent with naming conventions
If you call a maid a maid, don’t later refer to them as a handmaiden or some other variation of the word. Of course, if these things differ depending on the character or region, that’s fine. But while this type of consistency might seem unimportant, it causes a degree of separation in the worldbuilding.
Because many fantasy stories are set in time periods inspired by our current world’s past, it’s not as natural for us as writers to use and remember the same terminology.
Similarly to keeping track of lore, make a document, spreadsheet, or somewhere to keep track of what you call certain things for consistency’s sake.
4. Get beta feedback from fantasy readers
Your mom isn’t a good beta candidate (unless she reads fantasy often). Neither is your friend who hardly ever reads.
To get a pulse on what your audience will pull out as problematic, you need some of your real audience. That means you want people who read fantasy similar to yours. They’ll be well-versed in what’s expected in the genre and can point out when your book is falling short.
Plus, fantasy readers tend to have a higher threshold for a learning curve, and someone who never reads might be overly confused whereas a fantasy reader may be just fine with what you’ve written.
Going it alone, though, is really hard. Even if you plan to hire an editor after you self-edit your fantasy book, it’s still wise to have betas read it first.
5. Don’t overlook magic system consistencies
$ Building your magic system$ is a serious part of fantasy writing, especially if it’s from scratch. There are some methods of borrowing existing magic (like werewolves, vampires, fae, etc.) which are easier to keep track of because there are fewer details.
But when you make your own and have an entirely new operating system, it’s easy to forget the little things by the time you’ve finished your book.
And trust me when I say fantasy readers hate nothing more than plot holes caused by magic.
The self-editing tips for fantasy writers I like the most for this one have to do with taking plot into account. Does magic solve the problems, or create more? You’re safer when the magic system creates issues in the plot rather than solves them.
Or, you can always have an "open" magic system that has no rules and nobody, including the reader, knows how it works.
But if you do have rules, make sure they’re followed and remain consistent. You don’t want readers writing things like, "why didn’t they just use their magic during their capture" in their reviews.
6. Track your settings
Settings are a huge part of what makes fantasy, well, fantasy. Sure, some urban fantasy takes places in the modern world, but if you’ve crafted your own world, you’ll need to remember the details of all the various places you mention in your manuscript.
You can do this in a lot of places, and a $ software like NovelPad$ can help with certain pieces (like characters and their magic abilities). I like using the locations feature specifically to keep track of settings I use frequently, especially if they have details necessary for the plot.
7. Trim excessive world slang & accents
You don’t need as much as you think you need. I promise. The reader will get the point that this world has its own slang, phrases, idioms, and accents without drenching the narrative with them.
Subtlety feels more natural anyway, and accents are notoriously annoying to read.
You still want the reader to understand your writing. When you get to a section of dialogue when self-editing your fantasy novel, keep these in mind:
- A description of an accent will suffice most of the time
- Small misspellings on certain words is better than making up your own words so the reader hears the sound of the accent
- Slang is only useful if it makes sense
- Idioms don’t have to be explained, but should be clear by context what they mean
Of course, authors break these rules and it still works out. The amount of time you spend using slang and accents can tire your reader, so be mindful at the least.
Take this example from Harry Potter, for example. To me, this is borderline too much, but it does work well.
Keep in mind though, that if Hagrid was a more prevalent character with more dialogue, it could get exhausting to read all the time.
8. Cut exposition and fit it in elsewhere
Some amounts of exposition is unavoidable, and in fact necessary, particularly the younger your audience. But if you find that your fantasy novel has big blocks explaining the world and how it operates…it’s time to cut and do some rewriting.
If you read popular fantasy novels, there isn’t much exposition. You don’t find the narrative filled with explanations of how the world or magic works. Instead, what you have are scenes in which the context makes the inner workings understandable.
For example, if you want a reader to gather that the forest is unpredictable or dangerous, you might have characters make mention of "wouldn’t be out there at this time of night" or "stick to the bridges in the forest" or descriptions of the surroundings using a narrative tone that depicts the emotion you want to convey to the reader.
Of course there are always exceptions, but when in doubt, show more of the worldbuilding than you tell. Small details here and there are okay.
9. Reconsider the length of descriptions
Look, I know you want to show off your world, but there’s no need to go Tolkien on your readers. A huge mistake many fantasy writers make is not knowing when to keep descriptions minimal.
Your world is cool, but it will be seen through actions, dialogue, and setting. There’s no need to spend too much time trying to make sure the reader knows the precise shade of the bark on that weird tree that can do that cool magic thing…
In fact, keeping descriptions brief will create more intrigue, especially if that tree happens to be important later. A tree with purple shimmering bark? What the heck is up with that?
These self-editing tips for fantasy writers don’t take personal style and taste into account. Of course, these will vary depending on your goals as an author, but if you want to keep your draft clean and focused on the intriguing parts, these tips will help.
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