Here are some potential problems you should keep an eye out for when you are editing:

1. Is the plotting solid?
2. Are all of your characters behaving the way they should?
3. Is the Point of View (POV) always clear?
4. Did you write too much?
5. Did you write too little?
6. Overlapping Problems (when fixing one causes another)

1. Is the plotting solid?
   _____For a moment, think of a jigsaw puzzle. Now, if you have all of the pieces except one or if a few of the pieces are jammed into the wrong spaces, the picture depicted will be off. You may have an idea of what the whole picture is supposed to look like if it’s an end piece that’s missing. If it’s a piece from the center, you may have no idea what you are looking at.
   _____Who wants an incomplete puzzle? You want all the pieces to be there and to fit together nicely so that you can have a full and complete picture. It’s the same with your plot. All of the scenes, action/activity are puzzle pieces that come together to make your story complete. Refining your story means going back and making sure there are no missing plot pieces. Let’s look at an example:
   
   
   • The Story/Plot Summary:
     You’ve written a story where Sarah has a sexual encounter with Nurse Jackie while she’s a patient in the hospital. Sarah has just come out of surgery when Jackie comes on duty. Their eyes meet and it’s on!
     
     
   • The Problem:
     If someone has had surgery so intense that it requires them to stay in the hospital overnight or for several days, it is safe to bet that they will not be instantly ready to have sex after surgery. Sarah will be weak, perhaps nauseous and in pain. She’s not going to be feeling good at all.
     
     
   • The Solution(s):
     There are a few ways to fix this:
     • Instead of her being a patient, you can have Sarah visiting a patient and getting it on with the naughty nurse.
     • Instead of the sex happening right after surgery, you can have the two meet on the day Sarah is about to go home.
     • If Jackie does tend to Sarah right after the surgery, they can develop a friendship/flirtation over several days and then fulfill it when Sarah is feeling well.
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2. Are all of your characters behaving the way they should?
   _____It happens all the time on live TV. A really funny joke on MadTV or Saturday Night Live will sometimes make the actor laugh uncontrollably. He or she stops playing the role. Taking a deep breath, they get back into character and finish the skit.
   _____You don't want this to happen to the characters in your stories. They should not suddenly start to behave in a way that is contrary to their nature--unless you offer an explanation. Otherwise, you will confuse your readers. Let’s look at an example:
   
   
   • The Problem:
     At the beginning of your story April is a vegetarian but, when she goes out on a date with Stephanie, she orders a t-bone steak.
     
     
   • The solution(s):
     
     • If there is no reason for April to start eating meat, then this is just a mistake/oversight. To fix it, you’d just have her order a vegetarian dish.
     • If there is a reason for April to start eating meat, then it has to be mentioned in the story somehow:

       April was tired of living not one but several lies. For her parents, she was straight. For her earthy crunch friends, she was a vegetarian. For her lesbian friends, she was a high maintenance femme. She jumped through so many hoops to please people, but who was going out of their way to please her? “Fuck this,” she said. She swore to finally be true to herself—if she could figure out who she really was.

       (Of course, your real reason may be different.) Now, when April has that steak the reader will know why.
   
   _____So be on the look out for character inconsistencies. A woman who is a chef should not have a nervous breakdown trying to boil water. It's unlikely that someone who has never left New Jersey will be an expert on forestry in California.
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3. Is the Point of View (POV) always clear?
   _____Make sure you don’t accidentally switch POV. Review the information about POV in the getting started section and make special note of the problems associated with each. Check your story to see that there are no in consistencies in POV. Look at an example:
   
   
   • Excerpt From Story
     _____I took my drink up to the balcony so I could watch all the action. When Paula came in, she went straight over to Delores. They were smiling in each others faces, but Delores thought, “I can’t stand this uppity bitch.” I just sat back and laughed at all of those fools.
     
     
   • The Problem:
     This paragraph starts in the first person (the “I”) point of view, but switches to third person when it gets to what Delores is thinking. The person telling the story has no way of knowing what Delores is saying in her thoughts.
     
     
   • The Solution(s):
     The writer is trying to show that Delores doesn’t really like Paula.
     • She can do this by having the character telling the story describe Delores’ actions:
       

       They were smiling in each others faces and giving each other air kisses. As soon as Paula walked away, Delores rolled her eyes so hard she almost hurt herself.

       
       
     • Or, she could just say that Delores doesn’t like her:
       

       They were smiling in each others faces, but Delores can’t stand her.

     • Or if the writer wants, she can change the whole story to third person.
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4. Did you write too much?
   _____Ever have a friend tell you a story and then go off on a tangent? You want to hear about the fight at the club, but she’s too busy telling you about the bartender she thought was cute or the outfit she was wearing that night. You try not to be impatient, but you want her to get back to the subject.
   _____Every action, event, or scene in your story should be to advance your plot. If it’s a scene that’s not important or doesn’t enhance your plot, then you (like your friend) have gone on a tangent and probably written too much. It’s like putting the reader at a stop light if she has to wade through unnecessary words and wait for the story to get back on track. Let’s look at an example:
   
   
   • The Scene:
     Samantha didn't call her back last night and Lisa is wondering if they are still going shopping today. She's fighting the urge to call Sam again and is waiting for the phone to ring.
     
     
   • Story Exerpt:
     Lisa poured the cereal into a bowl. She poured milk over the flakes of corn. After putting the milk away, she took a spoon out of the drawer. She filled the spoon with cereal and brought it to her lips. Her mouth descended upon the food and it was very crunchy. She chewed it several times before swallowing. Then, the phone rang. It was Samantha.
     
     
   • The Problem:
     In the above paragraph, the important thing is the phone ringing. All the description put into the cereal may have lead you to think that Lisa’s food preparation and eating was significant.
     
     
   • Solution(s):
     Sum up Lisa’s activity:
     
     • Lisa was eating breakfast when the phone rang.
       Or
       
     • Samantha called while Lisa was having breakfast.
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5. Did you write too little?
   _____Writing too little about a scene or action central to the plot is just as bad as writing too much about unimportant details. It's like the gossiping friend who tells you the bare fact but leaves out essential details:
   
   Her: Lisa and Gina got into it at the club last night, girl.
   30 seconds pass
   You: Well?
   Her: Well what?
   You: Who started the fight? Why were they fighting? Who won? What happened?
   Her: I told you. Lisa and Gina had a fight.
   
   Giving too few details for key plot points will leave your reader starving for information. It also weakens the story. Let's look at an example:
   
   
   • The Plot:
     After a devastating breakup, April has to struggle against her fear and insecurity to love again.
     
     
   • Story Excerpt:
     April broke up with Jordan. She was so angry and hurt she thought about going back to men. In fact, it was two years before she dated anyone else.
     
     
   • The Problem:
     The break up is really important because it is the motivation for April's actions. It's important for the reader to understand what happened between April and Jordan--the one sentence mentioned in the excerpt is not enough. (Like looking at a jigsaw puzzle that has missing pieces in the middle.)
     
     
   • The Solution(s):
     
     • the writer can re-write that paragraph and give more details.
       or
       
     • the writer can add a new scene actually showing the argument and break up.
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6. Overlapping Problems
   _____Sometimes fixing one problem can lead to another one. Let's look at example:
   
   
   • The Plot:
     Terry, a gardener, solves a murder mystery by identifying the analyzing stray hairs found at the scene.
     
     
   • The Problem #1:
     This is unbelievable because nothing in Terry's background suggests she has any knowledge of forensic science. Putting a gardener in front of a microscope does not magically turn her into a DNA expert. This is clearly a character flaw.
     
     
   • The Problem #2:
     Fixing the character flaw leads to a problem with the plot--how does Terry solve the mystery without analyzing the hairs?
     
     
   • The Solution(s):
     There are several possible solutions.
     • Terry could call on an expert who could analyze the hairs for her.
     • The writer could change Terry's character to provide a background that explains why she has the knowledge to do the analysis. (Perhaps she was a crime lab investigator in the past but became a gardener because she was tired of looking at dead things.)
     • The writer could remove all references to hair and replace it with a clue that a gardener would notice. (Terry realizes that a flower found on the victim is a rare specimen found only in the killer's backyard.)
   
   The point is this: when you edit for content, one reading/correcting session isn't enough. Read through the story at least twice so that you can catch any new problems.
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