
Behind The Rewrite With C.E Flores: Revisions Inspired By Free Editing Class
Today’s Behind the Rewrite meant a lot to me as author C.E. Flores made her revisions after taking my free editing class, Line Editing Made Simple: 5 Days to More Polished Pages. If you haven’t gone through the course, be sure to sign up. And if you took it a long time ago, sign up again as it now has an online classroom component and interactive quiz. But first, read this informative post from C.E. Flores as she gives a behind the scenes glimpse into polishing up her nonfiction book on herbal remedies.
Recently I published Volume 2 in my Mexican Herbal Remedy series. Since I needed to update the back matter to include information about the second book, I decided to use this opportunity to make some changes to Volume 1. Stacy Jubaâs free course, Line Editing Made Simple: 5 Days to More Polished Pages, helped my editing processes tremendously.
First, I searched through my writing for crutch words as instructed in Lesson 1. Since my non-fiction book focuses on the medicinal uses of certain herbs, would you be surprised to learn that the word âuseâ was entirely overused? I found it in various forms (used, use, using, useful), at least five to ten times per chapter. I rewrote almost all of those sentences using synonyms such as remedy, treatment, therapy, and so on.
Then, from Lesson 3, I went through the book again, looking for the five common offenders (some, that, very, as, just). I found entirely too many instances of âsome,â âthat,â and âjustâ plus my personal nemesis âso.â Those sentences received a little tightening up. Additionally, I took a leaf out of Lesson 5âs book and checked my prepositions. âIn order toâ was there almost as many times as âuseâ had been. Wordy phrases–be gone!
Lesson 4 had me go back through for dangling modifiers that disrupt the meaning of the sentence. I was guilty there as well. Some of the sentences needed complete rewrites. I took this opportunity to reduce passive voice use as well. I most certainly want to say what I mean and mean what I say when writing about these fascinating herbs and be clear about it.
I took to heart Stacyâs comment, âYour job is to finish your manuscript and to make it your best work, a professional book that will stand out from the competition and attract positive attention.â
Since I was on a roll, I made a few additional changes. The herb book was initially designed to record my own experiences with Mexican remedies. After completing Volume 2, I felt like I had a better idea of what I wanted to accomplish and what would appeal more to my readers. So, in my editing process for Volume 1, I took out several personal anecdotes about the herbs and added a bit more history in some cases and scientific support in others.
Then I switched out most of the images with better quality ones. After all, part of learning about the traditional use of these herbs was proper plant identification. A higher resolution image will aid herbalists interested in foraging their own supply. I also changed the cover so that it was more similar to other herb books on the market. With a much-improved manuscript, I republished Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico: An Introduction to Natural Healing. Thanks for your guidance, Stacy!
More About The Book
Curanderos (healers) in Mexico still practice traditional herbal remedies learned centuries ago. It is only recently that scientists have begun to take these healing practices seriously. Study after study has validated the medicinal use of plants native to North America and those brought by the Spanish after the conquest. Itâs time to reexamine the basic healing power in 34 common remedies used by traditional Mexican healers.
In Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico: An Introduction to Natural Healing, youâll discover:
- 34 traditional Mexican remedies
- Effective herbal treatments for common ailments
- Well-researched scientific support for herbal use
- Accurate botanical identification of native Mexican plants
More About C.E. Flores
C.E. Flores was born in the Eastern United States and currently lives in central Mexico. She received her Bachelorâs in Education at the University of NebraskaâLincoln and picked up her husband while attending there. She writes about her wild and crazy off-grid life in rural Mexico as well as references books for ex-pats, writers, bloggers, preppers, and herbalists.
Website: Surviving Mexico: Adventures and Disasters OR Content CreativeÂ
Take Stacy’s Free Line Editing Course
Does the thought of editing your book seem overwhelming? If your manuscript could use trimming and polishing, sign up for this free mini course. It features bite-sized concepts and assignments to help you kick-start your line editing.
- Lesson 1: The one thing that will jump-start your editing.
- Lesson 2: Three mistakes you may be making and what to do instead.
- Lesson 3: Five little words you need to start cutting now.
- Lesson 4: The truth about editing.
- Lesson 5: Struggling with wordy sentences? This will help.
Enroll here.

Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:Â
Enroll in my Book Blurbs Made Simple mini course for just $9
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