As the title suggests, a line edit looks at the structure of your sentences and paragraphs. When I review your manuscript, I will look at the creative content, consistency of style, and the way you use language to communicate your story to the reader.

Line-by-line, I will review your use of words and phrases to make sure they are clear, fluid, and pleasurable to read. I will scrutinise for atmosphere, tone, and emotion, and make suggestions if the words you’ve chosen to convey a precise meaning have better alternatives.

A detailed line edit will bring order and flow to your use of language ensuring consistency throughout. It will enhance your narrative voice and that of your characters.

What will I do?

Throughout your manuscript, I will make the expected spelling and grammatical alterations associated with copyediting, but you may find more suggestions on areas such as:

• • Irrelevant or overused words or sentences
  • Comma splices (run-on sentences)
  • Redundancies and repetition
  • Tightening of dialogue or entire paragraphs
  • Poor transitions resulting in an unclear meaning
  • Unnatural phrasing or unneeded shifts in tone
  • Hard to read paragraphs due to bland language
  • Confusing and unneeded narrative digressions
  • Use of pace
  • Dialogue and associated tags

When complete, I will return two copies of your manuscript. One copy will be the original manuscript showing the tracked changes and my suggestions. The other will be the manuscript with changes and suggestions accepted so you can see the effect they have on your story.