Editing Basics: What Is Line Editing?1/29/2023 Of all the types of editing, line editing is the murkiest and most exhausting because it develops phrasing and meaning simultaneously. Thankfully, it does not engage the same part of the brain you use for drafting, so line editing may be satisfying for detail-oriented writers. For those on the other side of the fence and newbies, line editing can feel like pulling teeth. This article will cover the basics of line editing including what it is, what to look out for, and how you can do it yourself. Do you have to line edit? Yes, especially if you’re aiming for traditional publishers. Why? Due to increased demand and agent burnout, manuscripts that interest agents are those that are the most polished because they will be the most attractive to editors at publishing houses. PSA: do not try to query agents without thoroughly editing your book. I would hate for your book to be rejected because it wasn’t edited enough. What is line editing? Line editing is done on the sentence level of a story. It focuses on the language that makes your story the most effective, but “effectiveness” can mean a lot of different things. Line edits could focus on readability (making the story easy to read). You could also focus on character voice and consistency. Line editing does not mean fixing grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors (this is called copy editing) but you’re probably going to find them anyway, so why not fix them? For a deep analysis on the differences between line editing and copy editing, I recommend this article on Reedsy. When do you line edit? If you have the desire to publish your book, it will need to go through many rounds of edits. Line edits are typically done after big-picture edits, or developmental edits, although they may be done before to give yourself a feeling of momentum and accomplishment (no judgment!). If you do line edits before developmental ones, however, you risk wasting your effort on scenes you removed from the draft. What to look out for. Sentence structure: Includes awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, etc. Passive voice. The words to look out for are “was” and “were,” but they are not always the enemy. This also includes telling, or using sensory filter words to tell the reader what is happening. Examples: “he felt cold,” or “she saw the video played.” Style/Tone: Is each word natural in the sentence? Does it carry the right tone for its place in the story? Could you use a synonym that sounds better? Get rid of clichés. Example: did you call someone’s eyes emerald orbs instead of green? Dialogue: Fix awkward phrasing, and keep voices consistent. Does one character always use short sentences? Does another stutter when they are embarrassed? Read your dialogue out loud, and if it sounds weird, it probably is weird. Consistency/Continuity: Does the color of a character’s eyes change halfway through the draft? What about the arrangement of objects and characters? Facts should also be consistent, like age. You could also focus on the time of your story. This includes the time of day, day of the week, etc. Example: If it’s Monday and events happen three days later, it better be a Thursday. Confusion: Are there places in the story where actions are unjustified or unexplained? Are questions left unanswered? Answer them. Repetition: Often, writers overuse their main character’s names in a scene instead of their pronouns. Details can also be over-repeated. Are there particular words and phrases that you tend to use a lot, like blushing, eye rolling, or smiling? Cut them done and replace them with different actions. Practical tips: Change the font or font color. This can get you to read your story with fresh eyes. I know Comic Sans MS is a memed, ugly font, but it really does work. Read out of order. If you’ve done developmental edits already, you know your plot makes sense, so you don’t need to worry about breaking it. Try reading chapters backwards, or start at the end of your book and read to the beginning. Reading out of order keeps you from getting distracted by your story. Pay close attention. Line editing takes a lot of focus so to help with this… Don’t try to do too much at once. If you try to tackled line editing in a night or a weekend, you’re likely to miss things because your eyes will glaze over and you’ll get tired. Give yourself a few weeks for this process. Use read-aloud software or read it out loud yourself. This changes the way you experience your story, and you might catch extra errors this way. Change the format. Print out the manuscript and edit by hand or send it to another device. If you don’t want to do it yourself, or maybe if English isn’t your first language, there are online platforms to hire line editors like Fiverr, Reedsy, and Upwork. Professionals will charge between $500 and $1,000 for their services. If this price feels steep, it’s because line editing is no easy feat. Editors comb through every sentence of your draft and have to learn your story from scratch. You have the advantage as the writer because you already know your story. There are also writing tools online like ProWritingAid and Grammarly that can help you catch passive voice, weak verbs, and other readability errors. That being said, line editing is absolutely possible for you to do by yourself—it only takes practice and time. Tune in next time for the sister to this article: copy editing. We wish you the best of luck and happy editing! Grayson Yountis a writer based in North Carolina. She attends writing classes of all kinds at UNC Chapel Hill and has a particular fondness for sharp imagery. In her free time, she drafts her own novels.
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