What are your top 3 tips for self-editing?

[cynicalwanderer]

[williamadams]

[pls]

One space after a period has been the standard for on-screen manuscripts for many years, even before "The Mac Is Not a Typewriter" was published over 20 years ago. It's simply not necessary. Even MS Word autocorrects two spaces to one.

[williamadams]

[g-girl3]

This is a hard one for me because I too love the double space. I've read many books, both digital and print, where I've struggled to figure out where one sentence ends and another begins. That said, insisting on retaining that double space is a good way to shoot yourself in the foot. My niece failed a very important typing test when the computer kicked back multiple errors in what she thought was a flawless manuscript—all of them were for the double space. Like it or not, the single space is the norm and it would be a shame to lose a chance at publication because of a refusal to accept that.

[ostarella]

I also learned to type using double spaces and it was hard to break the habit. Now it's second-nature. And comparing older (much older) books I have with new ones, even with my lousy eyesight I don't see any difference in ease of reading. If anything, the double space looks kinda weird. lol

[williamadams]

most writers have much bigger problems to worry about than double spacing after a period to make the mss easier to read

how double spacing can be considered a top ten tip for editing is a mystery to me.
the spacing is for the book production layout people to decide
and the author does not need to worry about that at all.

and most mss are printed as if they had been typed so should have the double space.
let the publisher do a global change along with fonts, ledding, and other layout issue they handle
which have nothing to do with an author and his editing.

[pls]

99% of manuscript formatting here, in the WD forums, has to do with what agents want to see, not publishers. Above all, check the agents' pages for requirements before sending queries and partial manuscripts (unless they specifically tell you NOT to send any part of your manuscript, go ahead and send the first chapter or so in the same document as the query. The worst that can happen is that they'll stop reading after the query.).

[Brien Sz]

If you can't follow simple directions... why would I bother reading? Having had the opportunity to attend a couple conferences, you learn that agents are busy. Your 'great' story is simply one of hundreds a day they receive and if you aren't following protocol, there's a pretty good chance they simply went, NEXT!

[williamadams]