This document provides guidance on editing and formatting a short story final draft. It recommends first ensuring the content is complete by reviewing feedback and requirements. Then it describes editing the story at both the macro and micro level, including checking paragraph structure, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, unnecessary words or phrases, and formatting specifications like margins, font, and page length. It stresses allowing several days to thoroughly edit with breaks in between to catch errors with fresh eyes and to read the story aloud before submitting.

1. Editing & Formatting Your
Short Story 1 Final Draft
Module 8: Session 8A

2. First: Make
sure Your
Content is
Finished
No sense in editing something that still
has parts missing or needs to be deleted
anyway: don’t waste your valuable time!
Go through the rubric’s content
requirements once again. Make sure you
have revised all areas suggested by
classmates and your teacher 
Once that is done, you are ready to move
into the Editing Phase.

3. Start with the Big Picture, then Zoom In
• Paragraphs: indented ½ inch?
• New paragraph every time speaker changes in dialogue?
• Tags appropriately punctuated? He said, “Blah blah.” “Blah, blah,” she replied.
• Are the lengths of the paragraphs appropriate?
• Sentences
• Punctuation: COMMAS, apostrophes, dashes, semi-colons, colons, italics, etc.
• Flow—sentence variety! Read it out loud again.
• Capitalization: first word of sentence AND in dialogue (unless a continued
sentence)
• “I’m sure,” she replied, “that you will be prepared for the presentation on
Monday, hmm?”

4. Zooming In
Phrases
Subject/Verb agreement
Placement of modifying phrases—are they
describing the noun you meant for them to
describe?
Can you cut any unnecessary phrases?
Words
Spelling!!!!
Missing letters? Check carefully.
Capitalization
Can you cut any unnecessary words?

5. Formatting
• 1 inch margins
• Double-spaced: Once space
between each line of text
• 5-6 pages long (You will get
docked if the story is too
long!)
• 12 pt. Times New Roman font

6. Title Page
INCLUDE THE TITLE OF YOUR
STORY ON YOUR TITLE PAGE
AND AT THE TOP (CENTERED) OF
YOUR FIRST PAGE OF THE STORY.
TAKE SOME TIME TO
COME UP WITH A
GREAT TITLE!
STANDARD CLASS
INFORMATION/FORM
AT

7. Final Words
Budget a few days to edit and format.
One hour in a rush will probably not be sufficient.
Separate times (maybe an hour?), spaced out across a
few days will help you catch more with fresher eyes.
Budget time to read your story aloud one last time
before you click submit!
I can’t wait to read your final drafts!