Editors generally agree that there are four levels of editing, and an author should pursue them in this order:
- Developmental
- Line
- Copy
- Proofreading
Line editing is generally the 2nd round of edits after the more big picture developmental edit.
So, if you’ve already gone through a developmental edit, why do you need a line edit?
What do line editors do?
Line editors tighten up, clarify, and streamline a writer’s language line by line (as the name implies).
When we authors write our first drafts, we just want to get our ideas on the page, whether that’s for an epic fantasy or a self-help book on healing our inner child. We don’t—and shouldn’t—pay too much attention to our sentence structure, use of extraneous words, or overall word flow. Our first draft is supposed to be messy. Line editors help us clean it up.
A line editor’s job is to look at the author’s overall style, flow, tone, as well as removing extraneous language that might slow down the story or the reading experience. We also help you strengthen your writing with suggestions for more vivid word choices as well as paring down descriptions that might disrupt the flow or pacing of the story.
Line edits help refine, clarify, and refine your writing, which make your book more enjoyable for the reader, no matter the genre.
What your line editor looks for
Consistent point of view (POV)
Point of view, or POV for short, refers to which character’s head are we in for a particular scene. This approach can also work for nonfiction, ensuring that the narrative POV is consistent throughout the book.
Whether a book is written in 1st person (I/me) or 3rd person (he/she/they), most commercial fiction will stay in a consistent POV for an entire scene or chapter. If the POV changes, we usually indicate that with a scene break—that could be three asterisks in a row, an ornamental element, or even just a larger paragraph break. That tells the reader that we’re jumping into a different character’s head and perspective. Shifting POV without a clear scene shift can be jarring or confusing for readers.
Let’s look at an example. Layla, a young woman in her 30s, meets with her boss, Adam to ask for a raise. If this scene is from Layla’s POV, then the scene can’t contain any of Adam’s thoughts, feelings, or perceptions of the events in the scene. Everything has to be through Layla’s filter, even if the story is in 3rd person (we call this 3rd person limited). This means that if a line editor came across something that only Adam could perceive, then the editor would remove it and give suggestions to the author to convey similar information through the POV character’s perspective. I’ve indicate such lines in italics:
Layla sat in the creaky office chair across from Adam’s hulking desk. She shifted in her seat, the rough upholstery prickling the backs of her thighs. She needed this raise. Her current pay barely covered her already meager expenses. She’d already cut back on her grocery spending, and these days she never went out to eat. Her belly grumbled; today, she even skipped breakfast.
Adam straightened his silk tie and leaned back in his own chair, one he’d recently coerced HR to purchase for him to ease his aching back. After two weeks, however, his back ached more than ever.
Layla wouldn’t necessarily know that Adam convinced HR to get that chair for him, and unless he stretches or twists in a way that indicates he has back pain, Layla wouldn’t know about his aching back either. Here, I would suggest to the author to consider adding in an action conveying Adam’s discomfort—stretching, rubbing his lower back, or a grunt. The author might even consider having Layla think something along the lines of, “I’ve never seen that chair before. Looks expensive.” Line editors help you refine these tricky POV shifts.
Narrative tone and style
Line editors ensure that the tone stays consistent for the entirety of the book or for specific POV characters. We also make sure that the word choices match the tone of the scene or the intended genre of the book.
Narrative tone is also important for nonfiction; we don’t want the first chapter of a book to read like a nurturing therapist, while the third chapter reads like a ruthless drill sergeant (or vice versa). These tones are far too different from one another, and this shift would be off-putting for the reader.
For example, if an author is writing a high fantasy set in a medieval European-style world, words and phrases like “tuned in” or “dial it back” (both referring to radio) or something more modern like “swipe right” (referring to dating apps) wouldn’t necessarily fit the setting or the genre. We’d have to find different phrasing that conveys the same meaning but is relevant to that fictional world. That is, unless the author were deliberately subverting the genre; then we’d lean into the use of modern phrases to ensure the reader knows that this is a different kind of epic fantasy novel.
Filter and fluff words
So much of a line editor’s work is eliminating filter and fluff words. And I love it.
Filter words put narrative distance between the POV character and the reader. Sometimes they’re necessary or can be used as a deliberate literary device, but in general, we like to avoid them. These usually refer to the senses: heard, felt, saw, tasted, smelled (this one’s a bit tricky, though, so I’m not as picky about it). Other filter words refer to how a character perceives the world around them: thought, knew, wondered, realized, looked, decided.
Fluff words are words that we often say when we talk, but they don’t add anything substantive to our writing. If the meaning of the sentence stays the same without them, then you never needed them in the first place. These are words like: So, just, really, well, but, only, that. (As I was editing my novel, I removed so many instances of “that.”)
Adverbs and weak verbs
Adverbs and weak verbs can bog down your prose and offer us opportunities for stronger, more evocative writing.
In general, adverbs are words that end in -ly. Despite what Stephen King says, not all adverbs are evil. But they often act as placeholders for what could be stronger descriptions. For example, instead of saying that a character “walked quickly,” we could say that the character “strided,” “raced,” or even “scurried.”
The same thing with weak verbs. When we’re drafting, we might not be able to come up with the perfect description or verb; we need to write something down and keep writing so we can finish our draft.
The “was verb-ing” construction is one of my favorites to seek and revise. “Was” is, perhaps, one of the weakest verbs of all. It also pops up in descriptive exposition, which I also like to eliminate in a line edit; usually the stronger verbs are hiding in plain sight. In general, we can usually eliminate “was” and use the -ing verb as an actual verb (unless the action is already in progress, then the “was verb-ing” construction might be necessary).
Here’s an example of how we can line edit an adverb and weak verb:
As Layla walked quickly to Adam’s office, her purse was bouncing against her hip.
As Layla scurried to Adam’s office, her purse bounced against her hip.
So much better.
Other line editing work
Line editors can also do the following for your manuscript:
- Break up or adjust long paragraphs to avoid the dreaded “wall of text” that can overwhelm a reader.
- Break up or adjust long sentences to ease readability.
- Eliminate repetitive language.
- Move paragraphs or sentences around within a chapter for clarity, flow, and organization.
- Highlight clichés and suggest alternative language.
- Pare down “stage directions” that over explain character actions.
- Clarify industry jargon or subject matter-specific language for lay readers.
What line editors don’t do
A line editor should not remove or change an author’s overall voice. Voice is a tricky thing to define, but it’s a mix of the tone, word choices, and structural style that makes that particular author’s writing unique. Your line editor shouldn’t impose their style or voice preference on you.
Line editors don’t look at your overall story or book structure. We’re not going to help you reorganize the book or the scenes, nor will we comment on character or story arcs. That’s a developmental editor’s job, and that kind of work should be completed before you hire a line editor.
Line editors tend not to edit for a particular style, such as the Chicago Manual of Style or Modern Language Association, nor do we usually provide a style sheet reference for the author. That’s the realm of the copy editor.
Line editors don’t read for factual accuracy—that’s another job for the copy editor. However, if I see something that looks inaccurate or inconsistent (a character has brown eyes in Chapter 2 and has green eyes in Chapter 6), I’ll definitely point it out for my clients.
Also, we don’t proofread. We’re not checking for missing periods or commas. If we see grammatical issues throughout the manuscript, we’ll definitely tell you about them, but we aren’t going through your manuscript with a fine-toothed comb in that way.
When should you hire a line editor?
If you had all the money in the world, you would hire a line editor after you’ve worked with a developmental editor.
However, you can also work with a line editor after doing a developmental edit on your own. You can also find colleagues to volunteer to read your draft manuscript and give you feedback on your book. For fiction, ask for feedback on plot, pacing, character development, setting, believability, and continuity. For nonfiction, ask for feedback on clarity, organization, readability, and credibility.
Once you’ve addressed the big picture issues of your book, then you’re ready to hire a line editor.
If you’re not sure what stage of editing your manuscript needs, I’d love to chat with you. I love highlighting my clients’ writing strengths and helping them craft compelling, meaningful, and excellent books.
Book a free 30-minute consultation call with me today!
