What editing checklist should authors use?
Plan, draft, edit and pitch the same book in one project.
Start free in the Edit studio- Four sections, one per editing pass.
- Each section names 8-12 specific items to check.
- Run the checklist pass-by-pass, never all at once.
- Working novelists revise their checklist after every book.
- A checklist catches roughly 70% of issues a writer can fix without help.
A working editing checklist has four sections, one per pass: structural (plot, pacing, scene order), character (arcs, motivations, voice), line (rhythm, redundancy, weak verbs), and copy (grammar, consistency, fact-check). Each section names eight to twelve specific items to check. The checklist is run pass-by-pass, never all at once. Working novelists revise this checklist after every book.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Memory is unreliable; checklists are. Without a checklist, writers self-edit by feel and miss the same issues book after book. With one, the self-edit becomes a process — repeatable, improvable, and less emotionally draining. The discipline of building a checklist also forces the writer to name what they care about.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Structural: does the plot resolve? Are scenes in the right order? Does pacing sag?
- Character: do arcs land? Are motivations clear? Does voice stay consistent per character?
- Line: are sentences varied? Are weak verbs present? Is dialogue tagged cleanly?
- Copy: is the timeline consistent? Are names spelled the same throughout? Is the grammar right?
- Genre-specific: tropes met or subverted, pacing per subgenre.
- A "personal weaknesses" section: things this writer always misses (overused words, etc.).
Chapter iii·Example
A working thriller author keeps a 4-page editing checklist with 40 items across the four passes. After each book she adds 2-3 new items based on issues her editor flagged. By book five her checklist catches issues her own writer-self cannot see, like overuse of the word "actually" (which she removes thirty-plus times per draft).
In WriteLoom
Three editors, in the order professionals use them
WriteLoom’s Edit studio walks you through a structured editing checklist, surfacing issues per pass rather than overwhelming you all at once.
Not ready for a workspace yet? Get the free six-part series on winning the writing game: finishing drafts, editing in the right order, querying with real math, and launching on a runway.
Chapter iv·Related questions