#line editing

[slayingfiction]

Line Editing

What is a line editor (LE): A LE works line by line through your writing to ensure every word, phrase and paragraph are meaningful to your novel and work together to create a great reading experience by clarifying meaning, working on flow and smoothing out any awkward or incomprehensible language.

When to get a LE: LE work specifically from line to line, which means you want all big changes in your manuscript to happen first. That means you want this step done only after completing a developmental editing process to organize your manuscript and have a complete layout that works for your story instead of against it. However, you want to complete this step before tackling spelling and grammar, because otherwise changing words you’ve already grammatically corrected is a waste of your time.

Benefits of having a LE: LE work very specifically with your story to improve overall readability of your story. Ever read a novel and wish your writing could be similar to their, because yours sounds less professional? That is what LE do.

What they do for you:

Work line by line to clarify meaning

delete and add sentences to improve readability

improve the flow of your writing to keep the reader enticed and not have to reread in order to understand or stay engaged

change general words to make your writing more specific and detailed with fewer words

cut words and sentences that are not working or are unnecessary. If your words aren’t working for your story, they’re working against them.

eliminate jargon and cliches

What they won’t do for you:

Work on plot, characters, settings, themes, pacing, premise, point of view,

grammar, spelling, punctuation,

formatting and typesetting the manuscript

When choosing an editor, be sure to be clear as to what you want from them, and what services they can offer you. No two editors are the same. Some may offer more services while others may specialize in more specific ways. Typically, you can ask for a sample of their work to determine if you will match with your editor, or if they’re not the right fit for you.

If you found this helpful, like, comment, share, and follow for more!

Happy Writing!

[writingbycatsgrave]

CALLING ALL WRITERS!

I'm a freelance editor looking to edit your stories, fan fictions, poems, resumes, essays–anything! I provide proofreading, line editing, structural editing, copy editing, and revision and suggestion services all in several convenient bundles!

I'm an experienced editor having freelanced for almost a year now and served as Editor-in-Chief of the publication West 10th. I've edited poetry, prose, novels, fan fiction, scientific writing, resumes, and more. Please reach out via email if you'd like to see samples of my work.

RATE

(Each bundle includes one consultation) Under 1k words – $25 with a 3 day turnaround 1k-5k words – $50 with a 5 day turnaround 5k-10k words – $100 with up to 2 weeks turnaround Additional words exceeding 10k – $0.20/word Additional consultations – $10/ea Faster turnaround – $10/ea day

[b-a-pigeon]

My freelance editing website is up!! I'm still tweaking it, but it should be navigable and coherent by now, at least.

Author friends, check it out! I'm offering copy editing, line editing, proofreading, sensitivity reading, and beta reading services. I want to prioritize accessibility & affordability, so I'm experimenting with sliding scales and payment plans.

Get in touch if you have any questions (or feedback on the website) or want to request a free sample edit. I hope I can work with some of you soon!! 🖤

[megsbookclub]

Hey 🍄 I'm excited to announce that I'm opening commissions for beta reading/critique, editing, writing and sensitivity check. If any of these interest you, drop a comment below. Feel free to DM me for more details and tell me about your WIP. Ive written one full novel (soon to be published) and I’m currently writing my second one (murder mystery in the Catholic Church) Thanks a bunch! Writers should always support other writers❤️

[ettawritesnstudies]

Sharing old blog posts while I'm on hiatus: There's an overflowing amount of writing advice on how to write the first draft of a book and barely anything for the process of turning that into a book, so here's me trying to fill that gap!

If you want to support my work, leave a tip or buy stickers on my Kofi!

[msrheyrhey]

*Edited*Do any writers in here need an Editor?!

If you can help a starting editor pay some of their bills before going red, I offer 3 types of editing services!

I offer Developmental editing when you've just finished a story and want someone to guide you to parts of your story that are inconsistent or off.

Then I offer Line editing when you're story is fine but you want someone to go through and check on the spelling and sentences.

And lastly, I can do beta readings. When you just want to know what readers will think of your story before you go public.

I have a good system to have all my thoughts written down about your writing or stories if you don't have specific things you want thoughts or advice on.

My ko-fi commission page is below. You would be doing me a real solid if you checked it out or reblogged to spread it.

[amaiguri]

The Last Line Tag + Line Editing Demo

@theprissythumbelina tagged me for the last line tag. I always love when this tag comes around cuz it's so easy and I always get to see new entries for it.

Here's mine:

I sighed. There was nothing I could do… Even if he had killed Father. Even if Astaroh had watched and let him. Even if I wanted to scream that this was the wrong choice with every vein in my body. I settled in and answered my family’s every question. After all, this was our T’yar (Debt).

I don't know if I like the syntax of this. Like, it's OK. But it's weak... OH! Maybe it should be more active, like:

I sighed. I could do nothing...

And then, maybe, I bump up the specificity for the penultimate sentence?

My fingers pleated Astaroh's hair and my tongue pronounced all the correct answers. They erected barriers bloodsoaked soil. They brewed their jelly from unhallowed humans. The Queens gave their blood to grow the skin on the walls. My brother noted every detail for his purposes. For OUR purposes. Our family's purpose. It could never be any other way; this was our T'yar.

Is that better? Idk, I suck at line editing.

Anyway! Join me and submit your last lines today!

Gentle tags: @maiemorrae @moonfeatherblue @zebee-nyx @anoelleart @cee-grice @saintedseraph and @pluttskutt

[thecatsgravewrites]

CALLING ALL WRITERS!

I'm a freelance editor looking to edit your stories, fan fictions, poems, resumes, essays–anything! I provide proofreading, line editing, structural editing, copy editing, and revision and suggestion services all in several convenient bundles!

I'm an experienced editor having freelanced for over a year now and served as Editor-in-Chief of the publication West 10th. I have also contributed to new words {press} as an editor of their first young trans* edition. I've edited poetry, prose, novels, fan fiction, scientific writing, resumes, and more. Please reach out via my website or email if you'd like to see samples of my work.

RATE

(Each bundle includes one consultation) Under 1k words – $25 with a 3 day turnaround 1k-5k words – $50 with a 5 day turnaround 5k-10k words – $100 with up to 2 weeks turnaround Additional words exceeding 10k – $0.20/word with negotiable turnaround Additional consultations – $10/ea Faster turnaround – $10/ea day

[owlbearwrites]

What proofreading / copy editing / line editing looks like (when I do it)

Disclaimer: you may have different idea of what each of the three entails. But in my editing services, this is what you can expect from each tier.

Below is a snippet of my own writing (with errors introduced for the sake of this experiment), subjected to proofreading, copy editing, and line editing, respectively. This way, you can decide what level of involvement your manuscript needs.

Original:

Proofreading:

As you can see, I fixed punctuation, grammar and formatting errors, pointed out an erroneous word choice, and flagged a possible continuity error. Beyond that, the text remains untouched. If you don't want any (and I mean ANY) interference with your writing style, this one's for you.

Copy editing:

This time around, in addition to the proofreading pass, I tightened a few sentences, suggested a more evocative word choice, and pointed out where the scene's flow could be made clearer. If you're looking for a light-touch edit, that's the one.

Line editing:

This is the most involved level of editing I offer. In addition to everything in the previous tiers, I flagged a detail that didn't 100% make sense to me and could benefit from a brief explanation; made suggestions on tightening the prose further; and included several style suggestions to give a high-stakes moment more emotional punch. If you want me to really sink my teeth into your manuscript, and shine every diamond that's still in the rough, then the line edit option is for you.

[shelvesuponshelves]

Offering Editing Services for Original Work!

Hello! Are you looking for help with your original work? I offer a variety of services to fit every budget and need. I have plenty of experience and would love to help you with your piece. If interested, you can DM me here or send an email to jamesilver.ff@gmail.com

Looking forward to working with you!

[moxiefuriousediting]

Editing Available

Writers! Alas, my house has been hit with a multitude of car troubles beyond the comfortable capacity of my bank account. Please hire me. I have an MFA in Creative Writing and have been editing for 13 years now. I especially love working with science fiction and fantasy, but I am comfortable with a very wide range of genres.

Here's what I can do for the current low low rate of let me know what you need and what you can afford and we'll see what we can work out, because right now I am a little desperate:

Developmental Editing - I look at the big picture plot and character and story stuff. I read your manuscript through twice. The first time to just react and see where it's all going, and the second time to look for ways to fix any issues. ("This bit in Chapter 10 solves an issue I had in Chapter 1. Let's move some things around.") I will leave comments as I go, but also give you a write up fully explaining my thought process and suggestions. Once you've had time to read it over and think about it, I'm more than happy to talk you through it all and answer any questions via email or Discord voice or text chat. (I like text because then you've got everything written down.

Line Editing - All of your plot holes have been closed. All of your characters are acting in character. Now my favorite part, taking a closer look. At this level I will be going over word choices, dialogue, descriptions, and grammar. I use Chicago Manual of Style for my style guide and Merriam-Webster for my dictionary, but we can also work out anything specific to your work. The most important things, to me, about grammar are clarity and internal consistency. Again, I do two read throughs. On the first one I will catch all the standard stuff and make suggestions. But I will also make note of anything that may need to go in a style guide specific to your work. This is usually especially important in science fiction and fantasy works as you do worldbuilding. I will reach out about any decisions you need to make and then do a second read. You'll get back the edited manuscript as well as a style guide. Again, I will be available for a chat to answer any questions.

Proofreading - This is it. This is the last step of the writing and editing process. One last read through to catch any grammar* that might have slipped through the cracks, or new problems that may have been introduced. (Did you use find and replace all? You definitely need one more read through.)

I prefer to edit in Word, but can work in Google Docs if needed. You can contact me here on Tumblr, or through MoxieFurious at Gmail.

*One note on grammar. It can be subjective. Often the rules for English are more malleable than people think. This is where I fall back to clarity and internal consistency. It's also where having someone with a degree in writing comes in handy. I can recognize the difference between a sentence fragment for effect and a sentence fragment because you accidentally dropped a word. In fiction we play with the building blocks of writing, and that does not always directly adhere to the standards of academic English.

[chrismerle]

Good evening, folks. I'm Elsa. I'm a freelance editor with an English degree and eight years of experience in the industry.

And you know what?

We're a week into November. We're a week into NaNoWriMo. I know just from scrolling my dash that a lot of you are well on your way to reaching your goal. Once the month ends, a lot of you are going to be contemplating the process of getting that first draft edited. And you know what? Editing your own writing is hard! You know what it's supposed to say--you wrote it! Your brain's going to just skip over typos or missed words. And not everyone wants to shelve a project long enough to be their own set of fresh eyes.

That's where I come in.

My credentials:

I have a Bachelor’s degree in English and I’ve been freelancing as an editor since 2014.

I primarily use the Chicago Manual of Style.

I’ve handled fiction and nonfiction.

Nonfiction topics I’ve dealt with include law, business, finance, marketing, tech, travel, wellness, and medical.

I’ll handle any genre of fiction. That includes gore, horror, and smut. I have no triggers.

The shortest piece I’ve edited was 95 words. The longest piece I’ve edited was 115,000 words.

Things I’ll do:

Beta reading: During this stage, I don’t do any correcting of typos or grammar or anything like that, but instead offer my input on anything that stands out or seems weird or noteworthy. Like if I get to the end of the book and still have no idea what a prominent character looks like, if it feels like a plot thread didn’t get tied up, or if I just think parts of it are a bit dull. Or if I think something works really well! If you have a list of questions you want me to keep in mind, I will do so, but otherwise I’ll just make observations as they come to me. $1.00 per page.

Line editing: This is when I go through the story line by line to spice up the prose, while also adjusting sections that are awkwardly or confusingly worded. (Don't worry, it will still have your voice at the end.) There won’t be much of a focus on basic proofreading since the contents aren’t quite finalized yet, though I’ll probably fix any errors that jump out at me. $1.50 per 100 words.

Copy editing: Making sure the writing is as clear and consistent as it can be. I’ll fix spelling and grammar issues. If a number is spelled out on one page but typed as a digit on another page, I’ll make sure those sorts of things are consistent. If a page switches from present tense to past tense halfway through, I’ll fix it. Misplaced modifiers? I’ll iron them out. Subject changing halfway through a sentence? That will also be addressed here. Would a section make more sense with a different order? I'll rearrange it. $1.00 per 100 words.

Proofreading: Checking spelling and punctuation and so on. English is a pinata of spelling and grammar rules, and even people who have been speaking the language since birth can’t always write it. There’s no shame in needing some spring cleaning. $0.85 per 100 words.

Rush Orders:

In the event that you need something done very quickly, a rush order fee will be applied. Regardless of the length, if you need it within less than three full days, a rush order fee will be applied. Beyond that, take the final word count and then divide by 4,000, and that is the number of days in which the rush order fee applies.

Ex.: If you have a 52,000-word novel, then if you divide that by 4,000, you get 13. If you need me to finish the document in under 13 days, a rush order fee will apply.

For the rush order fee, take a quarter of the price for work and add that on.

Ex.: If we say that 52,000-word novel is 104 pages and you want the full works–beta reading, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading–then that would be $1,846. The rush order fee would be $461.50, bringing the full total up to $2,307.50.

I take payment through Paypal or Venmo. If I have multiple takers lined up, then I’ll work through projects in the order they’re presented to me, though rush orders will be allowed to jump the queue. We’ll address scheduling discrepancies in advance, obviously. If you need something done within two weeks and there are three people ahead of you, I will say as much.

If you can’t or don’t want to pay all at once, then I’m happy to work out a weekly, biweekly, or monthly payment plan.

My ask box and my DMs are open. If you don’t want to get in touch with me through tumblr, you can also email me (t.elspeth.williams@gmail.com) or use Discord (shaicarus#8286).

[leah56982]

Hello, i provide beta reading and editing service of manuscript on fiver. I take all types of manuscripts even fanfiction. Please contact me on Fiverr. I can even create a custom gig for you.

[megsbookclub]

How can I find free beta readers online?

Free beta readers do exist, you could always ask other writers who you may know to give you feedback on your work. The only problem with this is your work may be stolen or ripped off because it’s not done in a professional manner 🤷🏾‍♀️ if you’re looking to one day get published I would suggest investing in an editor or beta readers but it’s not a must. There are also tons of editing softwares that give suggestions on how to enhance your sentence structure and you could watch some videos on what to look for in your own project. But it’s always great to have your work looked at by multiple people, 2 primarily and you can always trust a professional.

What do you guys think? If you’d like your work beta read dm me

[lunasun1verse]

I got to go to the Bristol Ren Faire last weekend. Super overwhelming but so worth it!

I think the best thing I got from there? My first pentacle necklace. A lovely gift from said friends that pushed us over to get tickets for next month 😁💖

The meaning is extra special to me. I can’t tell you the full meaning, but I can indulge that “together we grow; connected by power, we protect and are protected”.

It’s honestly the most special thing I own in my practice, and I kind of want to add a little embellishment to it, but also I don’t want to ruin it 😩

Tonight’s song is My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy.

I do a lot of meditation at night, especially by moonlight. Sometimes, I do a kind of meditation where I sing and just let the music flow. It’s very clarifying, soothing, and helps me connect to my higher power.

This song is just ironic to me because my songs know what I’m doing in the dark 😂

[tartaruspod]

Hello all, I’m sorry it’s been a while! I stepped away from keeping up with social media to focus on producing the new episodes, and we’ve made exciting progress! The four new episodes for Batch 2 now have their line edits laid out, ready for sound effects to be added...

There’s still a ways to go, so it’s looking like Batch 2 won’t be out before the end of August unfortunately, but I’ll post an update when we’ve made enough progress to set an exact date!

Thank you for all your support, I hope you’re all having a great summer!