Line Editing
Find your voice, then make it heard.
Your voice is your strongest tool — a combination of your unique perspective, lived experience, and artistic sensitivity. It's what makes your story, yours. My job is to amplify that voice and ensure it always serves the larger story.
$0.008/word
What I do during a line edit
Clarify confusing or repetitive prose
Draw out detail to enhance the narrative
Vary up different types of sentences for a melodic flow (composition, content, length, etc.)
Suggest ways to turn first-draft sentences into final-draft sentences
Review dialogue for speaker clarity and ease of reading
Focus the tone of exposition, dialogue, etc. (i.e., making sure characters sound like themselves, watching for accidental tonal shifts in the narrative)
Line editing is...
Smoothing out rough exposition
Strengthening prose to serve your story, characters, and theme
Characterizing narration and dialogue
Creating a flow and rhythm through mindful word choice
Honing the perspective of the narrative (close first-person, distant third-person, etc.)
Line editing is not...
Critiquing larger story components (characterization, pacing, etc.)
Meant for first or rough drafts
Ghost-writing from outlines or notes
A demand — My edits and suggestions are just that, and you are always free to accept the edits that speak to you and work for you, and ignore the ones that don't.