Line Editing

Line editing polishes the writer’s personal voice by improving the manuscript’s writing style. This is where we truly go from understanding to enthralling. 

A line edit goes above and beyond basic grammatical mistakes. A line edit looks at paragraphs as a whole and asks: Are the writer’s goals being communicated in this passage? Does this passage have the best structure for the reader’s ease? Is there anything awkward or repeated? What could be improved for clarity?

I do more than just fix the small problems. I want to help you grow as a writer. My comments will have explanatory comments to help you understand the WHY. I also prepare technique fliers for my writers. These fliers address consistent grammatical or storytelling weaknesses and detail how to strengthen them. I want to help you grow holistically as a writer.

Focus

In a line edit, I will focus on:

• Readability (Ambiguity, Sentence Flow, Paragraph Structure)

• Flow (Consistent Voice, Awkward Phrasing, Sentence Structure)

• Style (Clarity, POV, Redundancy, Word Choice)

What It Looks Like

Line edits are made in the manuscript text through Word Track Changes. After completion, you will receive your manuscript with changes and comments. Then, you simply accept or reject my recommendations. Because line edits beyond a copyedit into the writer’s style, there may be comments you disagree with, and that’s okay! It is your voice I want to help shine. This is why I always give reasons for my recommendations. I hope to help my writers think about their words in a new light. If there’s anything unclear, I’m always here to help!