Clean Up Your Draft:

A Practical Self-Editing Checklist

Ten focused fixes that make your prose clearer, tighter, and more professional.

Self-editing can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re staring down a full draft. This checklist isn’t about big structural changes or deep character work. It’s about cleaning the prose itself: removing the habits that make writing feel clunky, vague, or amateur.

Think of this as line-level preparation. By tackling these issues yourself, you free up beta readers or professional editors to focus on story, pacing, and character—rather than fixing avoidable technical problems.

Before You Start: What This Checklist Is (and Isn’t)

This is self-editing, not developmental editing.

You are not:

  • restructuring the plot
  • reworking character arcs
  • rewriting scenes from scratch

You are:

  • tightening sentences
  • improving clarity and flow
  • sharpening voice
  • removing friction that slows the reader

Approach this checklist in passes. Trying to fix everything at once usually makes prose worse, not better.

1. Strip Out Passive Voice (Most of the Time)

Passive voice isn’t inherently wrong—but it often weakens prose by obscuring who’s doing what.

What to look for

  • to be + past participle
     (was taken, were conducted, had been scorched)
  • Sentences ending in “by…”
     (was attacked by…)

Checklist fix

  • Rewrite as subject → verb → object where clarity improves.
  • Keep passive only when:
    • the doer is unknown or irrelevant
    • you want to emphasise the recipient of the action

Active voice usually feels cleaner, faster, and more confident.

2. Hunt Hidden Verbs (Nominalisations)

Hidden verbs turn strong actions into weak, bureaucratic phrasing.

What to look for

  • make a decision
  • perform an analysis
  • give an explanation
  • make an announcement

Often paired with weak verbs like make, do, give, perform.

Checklist fix

  • Convert back to the verb:
    • decide
    • analyse
    • explain
    • announce

Keep the stiff version only when it’s intentional voice or characterisation.

3. Unstick “Glue-Word” Sentences

Some sentences feel foggy because they’re padded with filler words and wander to the point.

What to look for

  • Overuse of:
    • to, of, the, that, had, went, there was
  • Phrases like:
    • went over to
    • looked to see if
    • there was

Checklist fix

  • Identify the core action and lead with it.
  • Replace vague constructions with direct verbs and concrete nouns.

Aim for clear and readable, not clipped or robotic.

4. Cut Adverbs That Prop Up Weak Verbs

Many adverbs exist to compensate for verbs that aren’t pulling their weight.

What to look for

  • -ly adverbs: quickly, angrily, softly
  • Especially in dialogue tags: “she said angrily”

Checklist fix

  • Replace weak verb + adverb with one strong verb:
    • moved quickly → lunged / fled
  • In dialogue, show emotion through:
    • word choice
    • body language
    • interruption or silence

Adverbs aren’t banned—but they should earn their place.

5. Simplify Overcomplicated Vocabulary

Verbose phrasing makes readers work harder than necessary.

What to look for

  • Inflated phrases:
    • in the near future → soon
    • in close proximity to → near
    • a sufficient amount of → enough
  • Sentences that sound awkward aloud

Checklist fix

  • Read aloud and mark where you stumble.
  • Prefer short, familiar words unless complexity is deliberate (voice, humour, character).

Clarity is almost always more impressive than cleverness.

6. Replace Overused and Vague Words

Certain words weaken prose because they’re imprecise or do emotional work they haven’t earned.

What to look for

  • Wishy-washy: could, might, maybe
  • Filter words: felt, saw, knew, realised
  • Intensifiers: very, really, so
  • Vague qualifiers: some, quite, large, good, better

Checklist fix

  • Make choices firmer where appropriate.
  • Replace filter words with observable action.
  • Swap vagueness for specific detail the reader can picture.

7. Fix Pronoun Overload (Especially at Sentence Starts)

Too many sentences beginning with He / She / They dull rhythm and blur action.

What to look for

  • Paragraphs with repeated pronoun openings
  • Scenes with multiple characters where pronouns cause confusion

Checklist fix

  • Use names and specific nouns more often.
  • Vary sentence openings:
    • action
    • setting detail
    • a concrete object
  • This improves clarity and flow.

8. Remove Unnecessary Repetition

Repetition creates a subtle echo effect that distracts the reader.

What to look for

  • The same word appearing multiple times in close proximity
  • Repeated sentence openers (Suddenly… Before she knew it…)
  • Recap lines repeated across chapters

Checklist fix

  • Replace, cut, or restructure.

Always reread surrounding paragraphs—repetition often sneaks in during revision.

9. Cut Clichés (or Make Them Earn Their Keep)

Clichés are invisible to readers—and that’s the problem.

What to look for

  • Stock metaphors and familiar idioms
  • Descriptions that could appear in any book

Checklist fix

Replace with:

  • a more precise image
  • a character-specific comparison
  • a metaphor grounded in your setting

Clichés can stay if they’re deliberate character voice—but use sparingly.

10. Simplify Dialogue Tags (and Stop “Acting” Them)

Dialogue tags should fade into the background.

What to look for

  • Overwritten tags: barked, snarled, hissed
  • Adverb tags: said angrily
  • Action tags masquerading as dialogue: “I agree,” she smiled.

Checklist fix

  • Default to said or asked.
  • Use action beats to show emotion and control pacing.
  • Drop tags entirely when the exchange is clear.

Strong dialogue doesn’t need decoration.

A Simple Self-Edit Workflow

If you want to tackle this efficiently, try editing in passes:

  1. Energy & clarity: passive voice + hidden verbs

  2. Voice & showing: adverbs + dialogue tags

  3. Flow: glue-word sentences + repetition

  4. Precision: vague words, clichés, complex phrasing

  5. Final pass: read aloud for rhythm and smoothness

Short, focused passes beat marathon edits every time.

Final Thought

Self-editing isn’t about perfection—it’s about removing friction. Every sentence you clean up makes it easier for the reader to stay immersed in the story you’re telling.

Polish the prose first. Then let your story breathe.