Okay, you’ve tortured your original draft through countless rewrites and endless revisions. You’ve finally produced a work of art, a complete story that you can be certain is solid from beginning to end. Finished, right? Hand it to the copy editor and it’s done?
Wrong. There’s a very important step between the revision stage of writing and the copy edit stage, one that is often overlooked, but it can make the difference between a good book and a great book: the line edit.
Unlike the revision edit, line editing isn’t concerned with story content. Unlike the copy edit, line editing isn’t concerned with dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. The line edit is a matter of style. Yes, every sentence may be grammatically correct, but is every sentence stated in the very best way possible? Line editing seeks to answer this question, for every single sentence in your book.
Today’s post seeks to define the line edit, and the next several posts will discuss strategies for line editing and writing better lines in the first place. Because, wouldn’t it be great to finish the revision stage and have very little line editing to do?
Here are the five most important things you’ll look for when you line edit:
Style/Voice
Is the voice consistent in every line? Not the dialog or tone of the pov character, though that’s important and part of line editing as well, but the voice of the narrator? If you’re using archaic language, do you use it consistently? Are there random bits of slang in your medieval fantasy novel, or does your dystopian future sci-fi have instances of thee and thou that make no sense? Can the reader imagine the narrator in every paragraph of the book? Is the narrator a kindly old grandfather reading his grandchild a book? Or a snarky young businesswoman writing in her diary? Whichever it is, does that come across in every single sentence?
Flow
Does every sentence lead into the other, except where an abrupt break is called for to shock the reader and draw their attention? Are there places where the sentence length should vary, for example, during high action scenes where short, sharp sentences can reflect the beating heart of the protagonist? Are there unnecessary sentences or words that can be removed completely?
Clarity
When we write, we know what we mean, but it isn’t always clear to others. Are there places where a little rewording can simplify a passage and make the meaning clearer? Are there any long sentences which, though grammatically correct, drag on forever, causing the reader to lose track of the subject that started the sentence in the first place, that really need to be fixed before the book is released? Any places where adding or changing a word or two will reveal exactly what you mean, taking away any hint of vagueness?
Mood
Does every single passage reflect the correct mood you want the reader to feel? Are there places where a subtle change, like changing the color of a lake of water from sky blue to oily black, can change the mood of the scene entirely? Pay special attention to word choice here. In the English language there are often many different words to express one concept, all with subtly different moods. Pick the exact right word so that the reader feels the mood of the scene.
Density
You can read more about density here. Line editing is a great place to work with density. Are there whole paragraphs that only serve one function–to describe a setting, to show an action, to render dialog, or to reveal character? Are there places where you can weave in elements of the story that will be important throughout the book?
Line editing can be a difficult part of the writing process, because the stakes are high (every single word counts) and by now, you’ve already read the manuscript so many times you can hardly bear to look at it. Nonetheless a good line edit can make the difference between success and failure. In the next post, I’ll talk about strategies to make this process more effective: 101 TIWIK #63: Mix It Up: Take a Fresh Look at Line Edits
