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seems there's some interest so I'm going to dive into how I do this and why it can be such an incredible gift to your book (YMMV, this is just how I personally work and it might not be best for you!)
LINE EDITING: A THREAD-- https://twitter.com/emilygfeld/status/1343952848388841474
LINE EDITING: A THREAD-- https://twitter.com/emilygfeld/status/1343952848388841474
line edits are NOT just about fixing typos/grammar! those things are all important, and are absolutely a PART of line edits, but imho the least important. they're all about HOW you're delivering your story, and the very fine workings of how your book will present to readers!
if you write a book with the most badass plot and characters in the world, it's not going to matter NEARLY as much as it should if agents/readers/editors/critique partners are stumbling over your prose and can't immerse in the narrative the way you want them to.
so for me, line edits are mainly about this: making sure the story seem effortless and polishing voice and flow (on a line level) to its highest shine. if something /feels/ perfect and beautiful, I guarantee it was not easy to make read that way. so--how do i tackle edits?
1. heart lines
everyone has lines in their books that capture the "heart" of them. find those lines. make sure the scenes they're in have the proper emotional depth to carry those lines to their intended effect. if the scenes can't carry/hold up the line, move it elsewhere
everyone has lines in their books that capture the "heart" of them. find those lines. make sure the scenes they're in have the proper emotional depth to carry those lines to their intended effect. if the scenes can't carry/hold up the line, move it elsewhere
often, lines I thought would hit hardest just... don't. and by reframing those lines in a different context or making sure that it's drawn out properly in text will sometimes fix the issue! things tend to get lost in our books because we don't frame them properly on a line level
2. through lines
is there a line you carry/phrase you repeat throughout your book? if so, make sure you're twisting the line enough (or its inherent meaning in text) enough so that it's relationship to your MC changes as your MC does throughout the course of the book!
is there a line you carry/phrase you repeat throughout your book? if so, make sure you're twisting the line enough (or its inherent meaning in text) enough so that it's relationship to your MC changes as your MC does throughout the course of the book!
3. paragraphing/pacing on sentence level
this might seem small but it isn't. you can change a whole scene and the emphasis on everything in it just by breaking up your paragraphs a little differently. if something is absolutely vital and the reader HAS to see/feel it--MAKE them!
this might seem small but it isn't. you can change a whole scene and the emphasis on everything in it just by breaking up your paragraphs a little differently. if something is absolutely vital and the reader HAS to see/feel it--MAKE them!
for example--here's a snippet from my WIP. this snippet is INCORRECT because the emphasis is... bad... and the flow is stilted. it just feels weird (at least to me!)
HOWEVER, when you add some spacing... this is where you can make magic. feel the difference in the lines just because of SPACING??? unreal imho (also, this is what I mean when I say MAKE your readers linger where you want them to!)
you can also do the opposite of this! if you want something to feel ~flowier~ try eliminating the spacing between things and see how it reads to you. I also try to vary sentence lengths within the same paragraph for readability!
4. word choice/eliminating distant POV
please, please--do not sit down with a thesaurus and swap out words that are repeated often in your MS. it will (most likely) feel awkward for your character's voice. instead, see if there's a way you can reframe that word!
please, please--do not sit down with a thesaurus and swap out words that are repeated often in your MS. it will (most likely) feel awkward for your character's voice. instead, see if there's a way you can reframe that word!
using the word sunlight too much? describe how it hits your setting/the different colors things turn instead. overusing an emotion word (hurt, angry, etc)? describe how that feeling FEELS in the MC's body/what specifically is causing the emotion/why they're reacting that way!
i know most advice is to COMPLETELY eliminate words like thought/felt/wondered/etc from a MS but I've found that blanket advice a little too constricting. instead, I like to use maybe 3-4 of these PER MANUSCRIPT and use them for emphasis
5. imagery/metaphors/similes (which ties into #4)
I cannot overstate this--MAKE SURE YOUR IMAGERY MAKES SENSE FOR YOUR MC!!
I cannot overstate this--MAKE SURE YOUR IMAGERY MAKES SENSE FOR YOUR MC!!
if your mc is a baker, they will likely use many kitchen-related/food-related images. if they're a carpenter, they'll likely use tool/math/construction type images (or whatever makes sense for your mc/who they are/what's in their world!)
I won't lie, I'm VERY guilty of purple prose sometimes, especially in my earlier drafts. my rule of thumb for line edits on later drafts--I take my strongest image in a paragraph and delete the others. this might work for you, or it might not!
6. voice
ah, the elusive "voice." the truth is, everyone's voices are so different I hesitate to offer much advice on this one but since it's so important--
ah, the elusive "voice." the truth is, everyone's voices are so different I hesitate to offer much advice on this one but since it's so important--
I try to read every sentence to see if anything feels "off." chances are, if it sounds weird in my head, it's likely wrong for my character's voice. this DOESN'T mean I scrap the lines or anything like that--again, reworking/reframing will be your best friend here!
7. crutch words
my only advice on crutch words is this. find them. know them. embrace them. and then ruthlessly kill 95% of them in your book. your readers will thank you later (speaking from personal experience as a writer with crutch words AND a reader)
my only advice on crutch words is this. find them. know them. embrace them. and then ruthlessly kill 95% of them in your book. your readers will thank you later (speaking from personal experience as a writer with crutch words AND a reader)
8. breaking it up!
line edits are TIME CONSUMING. they are TEDIOUS. they make your brain into MUSH. take it from someone who once did 150 pages of line edits in 5 hours (for.... reasons lol) and became a zombie afterward--break your line edits into manageable chunks!
line edits are TIME CONSUMING. they are TEDIOUS. they make your brain into MUSH. take it from someone who once did 150 pages of line edits in 5 hours (for.... reasons lol) and became a zombie afterward--break your line edits into manageable chunks!
what's reasonable for me might not be reasonable for you or vice versa! so set yourself a goal--one chapter a day, two chapters, a single particularly thorny scene, and commit to getting just that piece done. and then when you're done, BE DONE
you WILL miss things if you rush these or force yourself to get through them when you're exhausted. I always do my best line editing work when I'm fresh and can catch small errors or fixes I want to make!
9. adding some sage advice from @RosieeThor : identify what kind of writer you are--over writer or under writer? and for what elements? if you underwrite descriptions, maybe add a line of it every chapter or scene. overwrite, make sure you're only keeping what's strongest!
to wrap this up--you all know your books far better than I do! however, I DO believe the above tips will hopefully help make line editing a little less painful! if anyone has questions on things I didn't touch on, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer!
