Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations

Hiya Reader,

​
Ever feel like you have no idea what people are talking about?

C'mon, I know it's not just me!

Fortunately, Merriam-Webster recently added over 5,000 words to its collegiate dictionary! Now you will really understand how terrible a situation it is when you find yourself adulting.

You're welcome.

Think a friend would appreciate Editorial Notes?

Send them this link to sign up:

(And if you’re the appreciative friend, you can subscribe at the same link.)

Example of the Week

Sometimes this is a good example—or a great one. Sometimes this is a bad example—or just a funny blooper. Sometimes a combination. You never know.

I took this photo on a recent plane trip.

We don't often get the chance to see such a sight, a rainbow from above. As per usual, the photo doesn't do it justice.

How does this relate to self-editing?

Well, if you said: change your perspective or your angle, you're absolutely right. Here's your gold star.⭐

We often butt our heads against the wall because we aren't changing anything about how we are perceiving our work. Take the distance. The time. Shift the way you reread your words. Pick up a persona if that helps.

If we want to see clearly, we have to look differently.

Actionable Tip of the Week

A trick to add to your self-editing toolbox right now!

A writer friend recently told me she's been having difficulty finding her narrative's core — the essential driving force or central truth that gives purpose, direction, and emotional resonance. In short, what's the piece about?

If you're wondering the same thing, and we all are at least sometimes, try a funnel strategy.

Distill your main theme into one clear sentence. ➡️ Then compress it further into a single powerful word. ➡️ Visualize it as a striking image, ➡️ then imagine how a character might voice this truth in conversation.

These writing exercises likely won't make it into your final draft, but they will sharpen your vision and ensure you're writing with purpose. And purpose, friends, is the key to effective self-editing.

Ask yourself: Do I truly understand what I'm exploring? Have I fully processed both the intellectual and emotional dimensions of this idea? Clarity of purpose transforms scattered thoughts into focused storytelling.

Reader Question of the Week

Maria wrote: Can you explain in simple terms what to do with limited third person point of view?

Maria! Limited third person means you're telling the story from the outside using "he," "she," or "they," but you can only be inside one character's head at a time. So if you have Tim and Nancy, you can tell the story from Tim's perspective or Nancy's perspective, but not both simultaneously. If you're inside Tim's head, you can only reveal what he's thinking, seeing, and experiencing. You couldn't tell the reader what Nancy is thinking — you'd only be able to describe her observable actions, like "Nancy smiled" or "Nancy listened," not "Nancy smiled and thought what an idiot he was."

You can shift between characters, but typically you'd do this between chapters or scenes, not within the same scene. Many books do this — Jennifer Egan's brilliant novels come to mind, where each chapter follows a different character's viewpoint. Note there are no shifts within chapters, just between them. The main mistake to avoid is "head hopping," i.e., jumping between characters' thoughts within the same scene. That's third person omniscient territory, not limited.

Also, this may seem obvious, but remember that your viewpoint character can't know things they realistically couldn't know. If you're in Nancy's head, she can't suddenly know Tim's secrets or backstory unless she has a logical way of knowing.

When describing things, stay true to how your viewpoint character would see them. I once read about a tea shop that seemed magical and wonderful through the owner's eyes, but when another character entered later, we realized it was actually quite different because we'd been seeing it through the first character's rose-colored glasses.

Just keep asking yourself: "Could my viewpoint character actually know this right now?" If not, save it for when you switch perspectives.

Want to Submit a Reader Question to Helene?

Give in to the urge.

Link of the Week

We all have books from our childhood that we can remember with total clarity and fondness. How about books from the childhood of more recent children? This piece has you covered: the "25 greatest picture books of the past 25 years."​

I ❤️ Hearing from You!

Comments? Just reply to this email or click this link. I respond to every email—that's a promise.

Thanks for reading!

~Helene, your writing sherpa