Now that you’re happy with your overall story, it’s time to focus on the juicy details. Line editing can take your book from bland to brilliant by focusing in on key stylistic choices.
Line editing and copyediting often get confused with one another, and that’s no surprise. Both are stages of sentence-level editing, but their focus areas are different. A lot of freelance editors lump these services together, though. They often go hand in hand and complement each other well.
Line editing focuses on the “lyrical feel” of your novel. How do the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters flow into each other? Do you use the same words or phrases too frequently? Did you intend for your character to stick their foot in their mouth with that sentence, or was it just odd phrasing? These are the issues an editor is looking for in this stage of the editing process.
If you’re not sure whether your novel is ready for the line editing stage yet, get an overview of each step of the basic editorial process, or take a more in-depth look at what comes before a line edit:
4 Types of Editing for Fiction Writing
Developmental Editing: What Every Self-Publisher Needs to Know
The line editing stage can be a little scary for new writers. Word choice and phrasing are key components of an author’s style. If someone else alters your words too much, your distinctive voice could disappear. Even someone with the best intentions could overly manipulate the text, making it conform to their own designs.
The goal of a good editor, though, is to understand your voice and how to maintain it. They will pay careful attention to your unique style while enhancing the preexisting prose. It should NOT be your editor’s intent to change your work to suit themselves.
Why line editing is vital for any author
At this level, your editor will zoom in on style. NY Book Editors, an association of some of the top editors in the publishing industry, cites focal points like repetition, run-on sentences, bland language, and weak dialogue. An editor considers these points and makes suggestions on how you could fix them effectively.
Line editing deals with sentence-level clarity and conciseness. Maybe you’ve written the next great fantasy epic, with plot and characters to die for. But your ideas must be presented clearly and your characters portrayed with rich and engaging words. Otherwise, your book won’t translate from you to your readers. Line editing will help you tighten your sentences and make your prose pop and sizzle rather than falling flat.
A line edit helps you see weak spots.
Having a new pair of eyes on your manuscript can help identify weak points that you might not be aware of. Everyone has a hard time seeing their own foibles. Most editors who also write choose to go through the same processes as everyone else. They have extensive editing knowledge and expertise, and because of that experience, they know how a fresh set of eyes improves a manuscript.
Your editor helps you grow stronger as a writer.
After a line edit, you will come away with a better understanding of your own weak points. A good editor will explain why they changed something and give suggestions on how you can improve that section. Your editor won’t necessarily change your sentences. Instead, they’ll point out a place where you can improve the flow or clarity.
You might see a comment like “I’m not sure who’s speaking this line. Maybe add a speech tag or restructure the dialogue for clarity?” For you, the creator, it may seem obvious who’s speaking. To your editor—one of your first readers—it is unclear. With suggestions like this, you have the space to restructure the dialogue yourself. This kind of constructive feedback allows you to strengthen your craft on your own.
That’s not to say that the editor won’t offer specific suggestions for change, though. They might want to give an illustration of what they mean. Sometimes it’s easier to learn from an example than a long-winded explanation.
You may like the line so much that you use it verbatim in the book. That’s fine; that’s part of what we’re here for. (Plus, I like knowing I mimicked your style well enough to pass as you, ha!) But you are, of course, free to rework the sentence as you like or write a new one yourself.
The verdict on line editing
Line editing can do wonders for authors at any level. If you’re self-publishing, seriously consider adding line editing to your publishing budget. Ask for several sample quotes from different editors. Each will have their own opinion on the stylistic improvement of your manuscript. Shop around and see who fits you best.
Choosing to get professional line editing is ultimately up to you. But a book with tight sentences and expressive word choice is one step closer to best-seller and one step further from a bust.
Until next time,
Jenna
Jenna Justice is a fiction editor and proofreader for independent authors. She specializes in speculative genres, including fantasy and sci-fi, for adult, middle-grade, and young adult readers. She is a proud member of ACES: The Society for Editing.
Visit Jenna’s website at Justice Serves Proofreading, and say hi on Twitter at @justice_proofs.
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