How to Edit Flash Fiction
Sweep away your typos and other mistakes
As a general rule, proofreading and editing flash fiction is easier than editing a 100,000-word novel. It’s certainly faster.
But as with longer works, typos and errors creep into flash fiction like crickets invading a basement.
Mistakes stand out in flash fiction far more than they do in longer stories and novels. A single typo in a 700-word story is like a giant pimple that erupts in the middle of your forehead before a date. Everyone’s going to notice.
How do you increase the likelihood that you’ve eradicated all mistakes?
Whatever program you write your story with, use a different one for editing. If you write your story directly in Medium’s editor, examine it in Word or Google Documents. If you write in Word, proofread in Google Docs, Zoho Reader, Apple Notes, or something else. If you write on a laptop, proof on your phone. This slows your mind, giving your brain time to think about what you wrote. You’re more likely to see mistakes when you proofread on a different platform.
It’s helpful to change the font or the font’s color when you proof and edit, too, so your mind’s eye isn’t seeing the same words in the same physical form.
