November 25, 2025 • 26 mins
Discover five practical line editing strategies that sharpen your prose, strengthen emotional clarity, and make each sentence more purposeful on the page.
Line editing can feel intimidating, especially if you're not sure where to begin or how to make meaningful improvements at the sentence level. And if you've ever tried refining lines before your scenes are clear and working, you know how frustrating the process can be.
In today’s episode, I’m joined by three brilliant book coaches and editors: Karyn Fischer, Alice Sudlow, and Julie Artz, who work with writers every day to help them strengthen their line-level craft. Along with their best tips, I’m also sharing two of my own favorite strategies so you can approach line editing without feeling overwhelmed or unsure of where to start.
Here's what we talk about:
[03:00] Learn how dynamic verbs instantly energize your prose and why swapping out static wording is one of the fastest line editing wins.
[07:14] See how a simple clarity–flow–refinement order keeps your line edits focused and prevents the overwhelm that stops many writers in revision.
[11:40] Learn why understanding the true purpose of your scenes helps you make clearer sentence-level decisions.
[15:41] Explore how short, long, and mixed-length sentences shape pacing, emotion, and rhythm so your prose feels intentional instead of flat or repetitive.
[19:28] Five practical line editing tools, from reading aloud to spotting junk words, that help you tighten and strengthen your manuscript.
Whether you're revising a first draft or doing late-stage editing, these five tips will help you make intentional, powerful choices on every page.
🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:
⭐ Follow & Review
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week!
👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (01:01):
The goal of line editing isn't simply to make the
words and the sentences prettierfor the sake of being pretty.
It's to calibrate every word formaximum emotional impact on your
reader.
In order to do that, you mustunderstand what the global story
is doing.
What is your story about?
And you must understand what thescene that you're editing is
(01:21):
doing.
What changes in this scene?
And why does it matter to theoverall story?
And from there, you can makemicro, line level choices that
make that change really clear.
Everything.
Where to use dialogue or addinteriority or describe the
setting, where to expand withmore moment-by-moment detail and
where to summarize, whether tosay your character walks or
(01:43):
strolls or paces or meanders,everything.
Every single individual wordchoice is in service to that
change.
SPEAKER_03 (01:53):
Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
Podcast.
My name is Savannah Gilbo, andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming.
So each week I'll bring you abrand new episode with simple,
actionable, and step-by-stepstrategies that you can
implement in your writing rightaway.
So whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
(02:15):
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, we're divinginto a topic we don't talk too
much about on this show, andthat is line editing.
And this is a topic that hasbeen requested over and over
again, so I thought we would goahead and tackle it today.
So what exactly is line editing?
(02:36):
Well, it's the process ofrefining your prose at the
paragraph and sentence level.
So looking at word choice,sentence structure, rhythm,
flow, and making sure everysingle line serves your story.
It is different fromdevelopmental editing, which
focuses on the big pictureelements like plot and character
arcs, and it's different fromcopy editing, which is about
(02:57):
spelling, grammar, andpunctuation.
So line editing sits right inthe middle.
It's about making your writingclear, engaging, and effective.
So for this episode, I askedthree book coaches, Karen
Fisher, Julie Arts, and AliceSudlow, to share their favorite
line editing tips.
And all three of these bookcoaches are in the trenches
working with writers everysingle day, helping them polish
(03:19):
their manuscripts until theyshine.
So all of these tips are bornfrom direct experience these
coaches have with writers.
Plus, I'm going to be sharingtwo of my own favorite line
editing strategies that havemade a huge difference for the
writers I work with as well.
So whether you're getting readyto revise your first draft or
you're on your tenth passthrough your manuscript, these
(03:39):
tips are going to help youapproach line editing with more
confidence and clarity.
And the best part, every singletip comes with a practical
exercise you can use right away.
So let's dive right into fiveways to make your line-by-line
writing shine.
And we're going to kick thingsoff with a tip from Karen Fisher
about using dynamic verbs.
So here is Karen's tip.
SPEAKER_01 (04:01):
Hi, thanks so much for having me.
I'm thrilled to be here.
For those of you that don't knowme, my name is Karen Fisher.
I'm a certified book coach, aformer literary agent, and a
pre-published writer.
And I own Story and Pros, BookCoaching, and Editorial
Services.
Today, for making your linelevel prose sparkle, my tip is
to spruce up your verbs.
Why does this matter?
(04:22):
First off, think back to thatage-old advice of show-don't
tell.
We've all heard it before.
And I love looking at verbs forthis one because not only do
they give a picture of what yourcharacter is doing and how
they're doing it, but I mean youthink about the difference
between trudged versus walkedversus torpedoed.
Each of those has such adistinctive feel to what your
(04:44):
character could be doing.
So that really helps with showdon't tell.
Also, as Constance Hale in herwonderful book Vex Hex Smash and
Smooch says, verbs put action inscenes, show eccentricity in
characters, and convey drama inplots.
They give poetry its urgency,they make quotes memorable, and
ads convincing.
So verbs are really great, agreat way to um sharpen your
(05:06):
line level prose.
So the first way of doing thatis to think about verbs in terms
of dynamic versus static verbs.
Dynamic verbs, according toConstance Hale, I just love this
analogy she uses, is dynamicverbs are like the whole grain
bread.
So they are the bread thattastes good on its own and that
tastes even better when you putjams and spreads and pattes on
(05:28):
it.
Static verbs, on the other hand,are like white bread.
They're kind of invisible.
You don't really taste the breaditself.
You're really tasting more ofthe actual product that you're
spreading onto the bread, likethe butter and the peanut butter
and whatever else.
So let me go into each of thesein a little more detail.
Static verbs, as I mentioned,are weaker, unexciting, nearly
invisible, and they lack punch.
(05:50):
So what are a couple examples?
So the biggest one that you'llsee in your writing all over the
place is to be verbs.
And these are linking verbs andthey talk about existential
things, and they're just veryinvisible.
There's also wimp verbs likeappear, seem, become, keep,
prove, remain, stay, sensingverbs like feel, look, taste,
(06:11):
smell, sound.
These can be dynamic in somesentences, but more often than
not, they're pretty static andthey don't add any extra punch
to your writing.
Other things like can, could,do, might, may, must, have,
need, ought to, shall, should,use to, would, will, am, are,
is, was work.
These are all those kinds ofstatic verbs.
You kind of want to avoid themif you can.
(06:33):
Dynamic verbs, on the otherhand, are thrilling, they're
vivid, they're animating.
They whistle your way, sidle upto you, and demand your action.
They create action and vividimages, which is your goal as a
writer.
So one example I love to give iswhen you think about a
firecracker, one of those littlesparklers, think about what does
the sparkler do?
(06:54):
It crackles, it fizzes, it pops,it snaps, it glows, it sparkles,
etc.
Right?
If you just read something thatsaid, oh, the sparkler is
glowing versus the sparklercrackled, which one kind of
makes you lean in and picturewhat's actually happening?
So always try to use dynamicverbs wherever you can.
(07:15):
Um, I just I want to read aquick example for you of another
way that you can hear dynamicverbs working.
This is from a little picturebook of poetry called Things to
Do by Elaine Magliaro, and I'mgonna read a little poem for
you.
Things to do if you are rain,polka dot sidewalks, freckle
window panes, whoosh down gutterspouts, gurgle into drains,
(07:35):
patter around the porch inslippers of gray, tap dance on
the roof, then go away.
So do you hear how thedifference of using those
dynamic verbs can really elevateyour writing and paint a
picture?
So try to do that.
And one of the ways you canimplement this tip is by
printing out the first page ofyour manuscript and circling all
of the verbs, especially to beverbs.
(07:58):
They are the most bland andplain and they also lead to
passive voice.
So circle all your verbs andthen work on changing all of the
sentences and making those verbsas strong and dynamic as
possible.
If you do this, you'll createsomething that sings and paints
a vivid picture in your readers'minds.
SPEAKER_03 (08:15):
I love how Karen reminds us that verbs are the
engines of our sentences becausethey really do drive the action
forward and create thatimmediate visceral experience
for readers.
So thank you so much to Karenfor sharing this tip about
choosing dynamic verbs.
And for everyone listening, wewill link to where you can find
and connect with Karen in theshow notes.
(08:37):
All right, now next up, I'mgonna share my favorite tip in
terms of line editing, and thatis all about following a
hierarchy because trying to fixeverything at once is a recipe
for overwhelm.
So if you haven't already heardepisode number 73 on the four
phases of editing, which is allabout how to revise a novel from
the big picture story levelissues all the way down to the
(08:58):
line-by-line sentence levelissues, then I'm going to
recommend that episode to youfirst.
And that's because that episodewill help you organize your
edits if you haven't yet done abig picture edit of your
overarching story and yourscenes.
But let's pretend that you'vedone that and that you are in
fact ready to revise your novelat the line level.
The first thing I want to say isthat I see so many writers get
(09:19):
stuck here because they'retrying to make every sentence
beautiful before making sureit's clear first.
And what I mean by this isthere's no point wordsmithing
your sentences and paragraphs ifit's not clear to the reader
what's happening yet.
So here's how I want you tothink about this.
First, I want you to addressclarity issues, both emotional
and physical.
So I want you to ask yourself: can a reader follow what's (09:39):
undefined
physically happening in thisscene?
Do they know where everyone isstanding?
Can they track who's speaking?
And also can they follow yourcharacter's emotional journey?
So when your protagonistsuddenly lashes out, does the
reader understand why?
When your character makes achoice that changes everything,
have you shown readers thatemotional journey that led to
(10:01):
that moment?
You can also think about it likethis.
If you showed any page of yourstory to someone who's never
read your entire book, wouldthey be able to picture the
basic action and understand whyyour character feels the way
they do?
And this is important because ifreaders can't understand what's
happening both externally andinternally, then all the
beautiful metaphors in the worldisn't going to save your story.
(10:24):
All right, and then the secondthing I want you to do, once
you're sure that what'shappening and why it's happening
is clear, then I want you tolook at the flow.
So this is where you'll check ifyour sentences are working
together to create the righttone and the right pace.
So are you slowing down enoughin the important moments?
And have you sped through anyparts that might need a little
more breathing room?
(10:44):
Is there anywhere you need tocondense or collapse time to
kind of get to the pointquicker?
Okay, so we just want to look atthe overall flow of each scene
and each page.
And then third, and only afteryou've handled clarity and flow,
then you can polish yoursentences and paragraphs.
So this is where you can playwith things like word choice,
you can eliminate repetition,and yes, you can finally agonize
(11:06):
over whether walked or strode isthe better verb.
Now, a little caveat when youget to this point when you're
polishing up your sentences andyour paragraphs, don't be afraid
to break the rules in favor ofletting your voice shine
through.
So, for example, maybe yourteenage protagonist speaks in
run-on sentences when they'renervous.
Or maybe your hard-boileddetective uses fragments.
(11:27):
No matter what it is, that isokay.
And in my opinion, voice trumpsperfection at the line level in
most cases.
Not always, and there isdefinitely a certain balance to
aim for, but I do think voice isreally important.
The key is knowing when you'rebreaking a rule on purpose
versus when you're just beingunclear.
Alright, so if you want to takeaction on this tip, what I want
(11:47):
you to do is take one page ofyour manuscript and go through
it in three separate passes.
The first pass, I just want youto read for clarity.
So can someone follow the basicaction and emotion?
And I want you to mark anythingthat might be confusing.
In the second pass, I want youto read for flow.
So does the pace and the tonematch what's happening in the
scene?
Again, mark things up that mightbe confusing or that might throw
(12:10):
off the pace or the tone.
And then on your third pass, youcan polish and play with words
once you've addressed theclarity and the flow.
All right, so that is myfavorite tip.
I really recommend following ahierarchy when you're working on
your line editing.
And I promise this will makerevision so much more effective
and way less overwhelming.
Remember, you can't polish whatisn't clear, so always start
(12:32):
with clarity first.
All right, now next up we'regonna hear a tip from Alice
Sudlow, so let's just dive rightinto Alice's tip.
SPEAKER_02 (12:41):
Hi, my name is Alice Sudlow, and I'm a developmental
editor and book coach.
I specialize in late stagerefinement that walks the line
between developmental and lineediting.
I help writers take big picturestory clarity and turn it into
line level edits that make everyscene unput downable.
Effective line edits start witha deep understanding of what
(13:04):
your story is about in the bigpicture.
The goal of line editing isn'tsimply to make the words and the
sentences prettier for the sakeof being pretty.
It's to calibrate every word formaximum emotional impact on your
reader.
That is to say, it's to takewhat you mean for your book to
do and make your book do thatthing even more.
(13:24):
In order to do that, you mustunderstand what the global story
is doing.
What is your story about?
And you must understand what thescene that you're editing is
doing, what changes in thisscene, and why does it matter to
the overall story?
And from there, you can makemicro, line level choices that
make that change really clear.
(13:45):
Everything.
Where to use dialogue or addinteriority or describe the
setting, where to expand withmore moment-by-moment detail and
where to summarize, whether tosay your character walks or
strolls or paces or meanders.
Everything.
Every single individual wordchoice is in service to that
change.
So, for instance, in the openingscene of The Seven Husbands of
(14:08):
Evelyn Hugo by Taylor JenkinsReed, we meet Monique, who is
working a low-level job writingpuff pieces at a magazine.
Her story arc in the entire bookis about what she's willing to
do or not in order to rise instatus at her job.
In the opening scene, her boss,Frankie, offers her this amazing
opportunity to write anexclusive feature with the
(14:28):
famous actress Evelyn Hugo.
This scene is about this giantopportunity which will make or
break Monique's career, andwhether she's got the guts to
accept it.
So, on the line level, everyword of this scene emphasizes
that meaning.
Monique's low status, Monique'slow confidence, and how those
will start to rise by the end ofthe scene.
(14:50):
Let's take a look at how thatworks.
Here's one line from thebeginning of the scene.
I calmly sit and cross my legs.
I let Frankie talk first.
The adverb calmly.
The actions of sitting andcrossing her legs, the choice to
let Frankie talk first.
All of these emphasize Monique'sdemure submission to her boss.
Here's another line from theend.
(15:11):
After Monique has pushed Frankieto give her the feature, shock
and searing pride run through meas I extend my own hand.
I make sure my handshake isstrong.
Frankie's is a vice.
Everything here emphasizes thestart of Monique's rise,
especially in her confidence.
There are emotion words, shockand pride, that point us to
Monique's new confidence and howsurprised she is by it all.
(15:35):
There's some energizingfigurative language.
It's fearing pride that runsthrough Monique.
She doesn't just have a stronghandshake, she makes sure she
has a strong handshake.
And yet Frankie is stillstronger.
Her handshake is advice.
Every line level choice thatTaylor Jenkins Reed makes
throughout that entire sceneemphasizes the meaning and
(15:56):
purpose of this scene.
That Monique begins in lowstatus and confidence, but makes
a choice to start to rise.
Which brings me back to my tipfor you.
Every time you sit down to lineedit your manuscript, ground
yourself in what your story isabout.
What is your character's arc ofchange in the novel as a whole?
How does the scene that you'reediting right now contribute to
(16:19):
that character arc?
Why does the scene matter toyour story?
What change in the scene do youwant to emphasize?
And then use that big pictureclarity as your guiding light to
make every line level choice.
Your words won't simply getprettier.
They will become moremeaningful, more potent and
powerful to your readers, andcarry the emotional resonance
(16:40):
that your story is designed tocreate.
SPEAKER_03 (16:43):
This is such important advice, and Alice is
absolutely right that every lineshould serve a purpose, whether
it's revealing character,advancing the plot, or deepening
our understanding of the storyworld.
So thank you to Alice for thisreminder to ground our line
edits in the bigger picture ofwhat our story is trying to
accomplish.
As always, we will link to whereyou can find and connect with
(17:04):
Alice in the show notes.
Now I'm gonna share my otherfavorite tip, which has to do
with creating rhythm throughsentence variety.
And this is one of my favoritesbecause it can really impact and
or change how your prose feelsto readers.
So what do I mean by this?
Well, think about music for asecond.
What makes a song interesting orwhat makes a song stand out?
(17:26):
It's not just about the notes,right?
It's the rhythm and the way thebeats create patterns and then
break them.
And your sentences work in theexact same way.
If you have too many shortsentences in a row, your prose
feels choppy, like this.
See?
It's exhausting.
It's robotic.
Readers can't settle in.
But if you only write in longflowing sentences that meander
(17:47):
through multiple clauses andideas, incorporating various
thoughts and observations asthey unfold across the page,
your readers will feel likethey're drowning in words and
they'll lose track of whatyou're trying to say.
Right?
Big difference in those twoexamples.
And the magic here happens whenyou mix things up.
So short sentences can be usedto create punch, they can grab
attention, and they're perfectfor action or for surprise, or
(18:09):
for moments when yourcharacter's world tilts.
And then you can follow with alonger sentence that lets the
reader process what justhappened and that gives them the
space to breathe and settle backinto the story.
Now you might be thinking, isthere some kind of formula for
this?
How do I know how many shortsentences versus long sentences
to use?
And unfortunately, there is noformula.
(18:30):
I can't tell you just to usethree short sentences followed
by two long ones.
And the reason for that isbecause that would make your
prose feel just as mechanical ashaving no variety at all.
So instead, you need to let theemotion and the action of your
scene guide the rhythm.
Let's say your character ispanicking, you can use short,
choppy, and breathlesssentences.
(18:51):
Their thoughts are fragmented,so your sentences can be too.
If you're writing a momentwithin a scene where the
character is reflecting on amemory or having some kind of
peaceful moment, that's when youcan let your sentences unspool
and you can allow readers tosink into that slower, more
contemplative pace.
All right, so always think aboutthe action and emotion of your
(19:11):
scene and then use that as abarometer for the length of your
sentences in any given moment.
Also, you can keep an eye outfor how you're opening each
sentence as well.
So you don't want to start everysentence with a character's name
or with dialogue or with action.
Instead, you want to mix it upso that every sentence feels
fresh and purposeful for thereader.
Now, if you want to take actionon this tip, here is your
(19:32):
exercise, and it's kind of asimple one.
Read your work out loud.
And I really mean read it outloud, don't just read it in your
head.
And that's because your ear willcatch rhythm problems that your
eye misses.
When you stumble, when you runout of breath, when all the
sentences start blurringtogether, that's where you need
variety.
So when you're editing, markthose spots and then experiment
(19:54):
with the length of yoursentences.
You could turn two shortsentences into one longer one,
you could break that mammothsentence into smaller pieces.
You know, just play with ituntil it sounds right.
And remember that varying yoursentence structure isn't about
following rules.
It's about creating anexperience for your reader.
So it's about making them feelwhat your character feels
(20:14):
through the very rhythm of yourwords.
And if you master this, yourprose will come alive and you'll
be so proud of what you'vewritten.
All right, now next up we'regonna hear from Julie Arts.
So let's just go ahead and diveright into Julie's clip.
SPEAKER_00 (20:29):
Hello, my name is Julie Arts, and I'm an author,
editor, and book coach who helpswriters like you slay their
doubt demons and get theirmanuscripts reader ready.
One of the steps that you needto take before sending your
manuscript out into the world isdoing a thorough line edit.
That's why I'm here today totalk with you about five tips
(20:50):
for making your line editingshine.
Number one, my best tip for lineediting is to read your entire
manuscript out loud.
You heard me.
I know it's hard, it takes along time.
I really highly recommend doingit from a treadmill desk if you
have access and making sure thatyou have a big bottle of water,
(21:12):
because you will lose your voicewhen you do this step.
But there's no better way tofind repeated words, extra
dialogue tags, and clunkyphrasing than to sit down and
read your manuscript out loud.
Tip number two, know your junkwords.
Whether they're filters like sheheard, she saw, she felt, or
(21:34):
conjunctions like and, but,that, or so, or any words that
you know you use too often, nowis the time to sit down with
find and replace and identifythem.
And the great thing about usingfind and replace is they'll tell
you exactly how many timesyou've used a word.
So if you type but into find andreplace and you find that you've
(21:54):
used it 852 times, that's apretty good indication that you
need to go through and do someline level editing to reduce the
usage of that word.
Another thing that writers areoften worried about is how to
reduce overall word count, butwithout cutting all those scenes
that you know from doing yourdevelopmental editing on
structural work need to be inyour story.
(22:17):
Well, one of the things that Irecommend to writers who are
hoping to cut maybe 10% fromtheir word count is to look at
the opening and closing of yourscenes.
Most people write their way intoscenes a little bit and write
their way out of scenes a littlebit with some extra padding that
when you cut it can reduce yourtotal word count, but without
(22:41):
losing a single necessary scene.
My fourth tip is to liven upyour verbs.
It can seem necessary to put ina bunch of adjectives to be
really descriptive becauseeditors are telling you all the
time, be specific, right?
So I'm here to tell you thatadjectives are not the best way
to do that.
Instead, using vivid verbs canreally, really help bring your
(23:05):
prose alive, but without addinga bunch of purple adjectives.
And finally, my fifth tip formaking your line editing shine
is actually to create a stylesheet.
And this is something that yourcopy editor and proofreader will
thank you for when the timecomes for those final two steps
in the process.
A style sheet is just a documentthat has the accurate spelling
(23:30):
and description of things likelocations, names of your
characters, and especially anyfantasy or world-building
elements that are part of yourstory.
I actually start doing that atthe very beginning of my
drafting process because there'snothing worse than getting
halfway through a manuscript andrealizing that you have spelled
a character's name fourdifferent ways throughout the
(23:52):
manuscript.
That can lead to a line editingnightmare, and we want to avoid
that.
So just create a style sheetthat can either be a separate
word document or I use an extrafile in my scrivener doc to
track those names and spellings.
And then when the time comes,you can use them to double check
(24:14):
your manuscript and make surethat you've gotten everything as
consistent as it can be.
I hope you found these tips formaking your line editing shine
helpful.
Thanks so much for having me.
SPEAKER_03 (24:25):
Julie has given us such a comprehensive toolkit
here, and I especially love theadvice about reading your work
out loud because your ear reallywill catch things that your eyes
miss every single time.
So thank you to Julie forsharing these five really
practical tips and techniquesthat writers can start using
immediately.
If you're listening and you wantto connect with Julie, we will
(24:46):
include her links in the shownotes as well.
All right, so whether you'regetting ready to revise your
first draft or if you're on whatyou hope is your last pass
through your manuscript, I hopethese tips will help you
approach your line editing withmore confidence and clarity.
And a big thank you to Karen, toAlice, and to Julie for sharing
their wisdom with us in today'sepisode.
As always, we will link to whereyou can find them around the
(25:08):
internet in the show notes.
Alright, so that's it for thisepisode of the Fiction Writing
Made Easy Podcast.
Head over to savannagilbo.comforward slash podcast for the
complete show notes, includingthe resources I mentioned today,
as well as bonus materials tohelp you implement what you've
learned.
And if you're ready to get morepersonalized guidance for your
(25:29):
specific writing stage, whetheryou're just starting out, stuck
somewhere in the middle of adraft, drowning in revisions, or
getting ready to publish, takemy free 30-second quiz at
savanagilbo.com forward slashquiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help you getto your next big milestone.
Last but not least, make sure tofollow this podcast in your
(25:49):
podcast player of choice becauseI'll be back next week with
another episode full ofactionable tips, tools, and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
The goal of line editing isn't simply to make the
words and the sentences prettierfor the sake of being pretty.
It's to calibrate every word formaximum emotional impact on your
reader.
In order to do that, you mustunderstand what the global story
is doing.
What is your story about?
And you must understand what thescene that you're editing is
(01:21):
doing.
What changes in this scene?
And why does it matter to theoverall story?
And from there, you can makemicro, line level choices that
make that change really clear.
Everything.
Where to use dialogue or addinteriority or describe the
setting, where to expand withmore moment-by-moment detail and
where to summarize, whether tosay your character walks or
(01:43):
strolls or paces or meanders,everything.
Every single individual wordchoice is in service to that
change.
SPEAKER_03 (01:53):
Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
Podcast.
My name is Savannah Gilbo, andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming.
So each week I'll bring you abrand new episode with simple,
actionable, and step-by-stepstrategies that you can
implement in your writing rightaway.
So whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
(02:15):
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, we're divinginto a topic we don't talk too
much about on this show, andthat is line editing.
And this is a topic that hasbeen requested over and over
again, so I thought we would goahead and tackle it today.
So what exactly is line editing?
(02:36):
Well, it's the process ofrefining your prose at the
paragraph and sentence level.
So looking at word choice,sentence structure, rhythm,
flow, and making sure everysingle line serves your story.
It is different fromdevelopmental editing, which
focuses on the big pictureelements like plot and character
arcs, and it's different fromcopy editing, which is about
(02:57):
spelling, grammar, andpunctuation.
So line editing sits right inthe middle.
It's about making your writingclear, engaging, and effective.
So for this episode, I askedthree book coaches, Karen
Fisher, Julie Arts, and AliceSudlow, to share their favorite
line editing tips.
And all three of these bookcoaches are in the trenches
working with writers everysingle day, helping them polish
(03:19):
their manuscripts until theyshine.
So all of these tips are bornfrom direct experience these
coaches have with writers.
Plus, I'm going to be sharingtwo of my own favorite line
editing strategies that havemade a huge difference for the
writers I work with as well.
So whether you're getting readyto revise your first draft or
you're on your tenth passthrough your manuscript, these
(03:39):
tips are going to help youapproach line editing with more
confidence and clarity.
And the best part, every singletip comes with a practical
exercise you can use right away.
So let's dive right into fiveways to make your line-by-line
writing shine.
And we're going to kick thingsoff with a tip from Karen Fisher
about using dynamic verbs.
So here is Karen's tip.
SPEAKER_01 (04:01):
Hi, thanks so much for having me.
I'm thrilled to be here.
For those of you that don't knowme, my name is Karen Fisher.
I'm a certified book coach, aformer literary agent, and a
pre-published writer.
And I own Story and Pros, BookCoaching, and Editorial
Services.
Today, for making your linelevel prose sparkle, my tip is
to spruce up your verbs.
Why does this matter?
(04:22):
First off, think back to thatage-old advice of show-don't
tell.
We've all heard it before.
And I love looking at verbs forthis one because not only do
they give a picture of what yourcharacter is doing and how
they're doing it, but I mean youthink about the difference
between trudged versus walkedversus torpedoed.
Each of those has such adistinctive feel to what your
(04:44):
character could be doing.
So that really helps with showdon't tell.
Also, as Constance Hale in herwonderful book Vex Hex Smash and
Smooch says, verbs put action inscenes, show eccentricity in
characters, and convey drama inplots.
They give poetry its urgency,they make quotes memorable, and
ads convincing.
So verbs are really great, agreat way to um sharpen your
(05:06):
line level prose.
So the first way of doing thatis to think about verbs in terms
of dynamic versus static verbs.
Dynamic verbs, according toConstance Hale, I just love this
analogy she uses, is dynamicverbs are like the whole grain
bread.
So they are the bread thattastes good on its own and that
tastes even better when you putjams and spreads and pattes on
(05:28):
it.
Static verbs, on the other hand,are like white bread.
They're kind of invisible.
You don't really taste the breaditself.
You're really tasting more ofthe actual product that you're
spreading onto the bread, likethe butter and the peanut butter
and whatever else.
So let me go into each of thesein a little more detail.
Static verbs, as I mentioned,are weaker, unexciting, nearly
invisible, and they lack punch.
(05:50):
So what are a couple examples?
So the biggest one that you'llsee in your writing all over the
place is to be verbs.
And these are linking verbs andthey talk about existential
things, and they're just veryinvisible.
There's also wimp verbs likeappear, seem, become, keep,
prove, remain, stay, sensingverbs like feel, look, taste,
(06:11):
smell, sound.
These can be dynamic in somesentences, but more often than
not, they're pretty static andthey don't add any extra punch
to your writing.
Other things like can, could,do, might, may, must, have,
need, ought to, shall, should,use to, would, will, am, are,
is, was work.
These are all those kinds ofstatic verbs.
You kind of want to avoid themif you can.
(06:33):
Dynamic verbs, on the otherhand, are thrilling, they're
vivid, they're animating.
They whistle your way, sidle upto you, and demand your action.
They create action and vividimages, which is your goal as a
writer.
So one example I love to give iswhen you think about a
firecracker, one of those littlesparklers, think about what does
the sparkler do?
(06:54):
It crackles, it fizzes, it pops,it snaps, it glows, it sparkles,
etc.
Right?
If you just read something thatsaid, oh, the sparkler is
glowing versus the sparklercrackled, which one kind of
makes you lean in and picturewhat's actually happening?
So always try to use dynamicverbs wherever you can.
(07:15):
Um, I just I want to read aquick example for you of another
way that you can hear dynamicverbs working.
This is from a little picturebook of poetry called Things to
Do by Elaine Magliaro, and I'mgonna read a little poem for
you.
Things to do if you are rain,polka dot sidewalks, freckle
window panes, whoosh down gutterspouts, gurgle into drains,
(07:35):
patter around the porch inslippers of gray, tap dance on
the roof, then go away.
So do you hear how thedifference of using those
dynamic verbs can really elevateyour writing and paint a
picture?
So try to do that.
And one of the ways you canimplement this tip is by
printing out the first page ofyour manuscript and circling all
of the verbs, especially to beverbs.
(07:58):
They are the most bland andplain and they also lead to
passive voice.
So circle all your verbs andthen work on changing all of the
sentences and making those verbsas strong and dynamic as
possible.
If you do this, you'll createsomething that sings and paints
a vivid picture in your readers'minds.
SPEAKER_03 (08:15):
I love how Karen reminds us that verbs are the
engines of our sentences becausethey really do drive the action
forward and create thatimmediate visceral experience
for readers.
So thank you so much to Karenfor sharing this tip about
choosing dynamic verbs.
And for everyone listening, wewill link to where you can find
and connect with Karen in theshow notes.
(08:37):
All right, now next up, I'mgonna share my favorite tip in
terms of line editing, and thatis all about following a
hierarchy because trying to fixeverything at once is a recipe
for overwhelm.
So if you haven't already heardepisode number 73 on the four
phases of editing, which is allabout how to revise a novel from
the big picture story levelissues all the way down to the
(08:58):
line-by-line sentence levelissues, then I'm going to
recommend that episode to youfirst.
And that's because that episodewill help you organize your
edits if you haven't yet done abig picture edit of your
overarching story and yourscenes.
But let's pretend that you'vedone that and that you are in
fact ready to revise your novelat the line level.
The first thing I want to say isthat I see so many writers get
(09:19):
stuck here because they'retrying to make every sentence
beautiful before making sureit's clear first.
And what I mean by this isthere's no point wordsmithing
your sentences and paragraphs ifit's not clear to the reader
what's happening yet.
So here's how I want you tothink about this.
First, I want you to addressclarity issues, both emotional
and physical.
So I want you to ask yourself: can a reader follow what's (09:39):
undefined
physically happening in thisscene?
Do they know where everyone isstanding?
Can they track who's speaking?
And also can they follow yourcharacter's emotional journey?
So when your protagonistsuddenly lashes out, does the
reader understand why?
When your character makes achoice that changes everything,
have you shown readers thatemotional journey that led to
(10:01):
that moment?
You can also think about it likethis.
If you showed any page of yourstory to someone who's never
read your entire book, wouldthey be able to picture the
basic action and understand whyyour character feels the way
they do?
And this is important because ifreaders can't understand what's
happening both externally andinternally, then all the
beautiful metaphors in the worldisn't going to save your story.
(10:24):
All right, and then the secondthing I want you to do, once
you're sure that what'shappening and why it's happening
is clear, then I want you tolook at the flow.
So this is where you'll check ifyour sentences are working
together to create the righttone and the right pace.
So are you slowing down enoughin the important moments?
And have you sped through anyparts that might need a little
more breathing room?
(10:44):
Is there anywhere you need tocondense or collapse time to
kind of get to the pointquicker?
Okay, so we just want to look atthe overall flow of each scene
and each page.
And then third, and only afteryou've handled clarity and flow,
then you can polish yoursentences and paragraphs.
So this is where you can playwith things like word choice,
you can eliminate repetition,and yes, you can finally agonize
(11:06):
over whether walked or strode isthe better verb.
Now, a little caveat when youget to this point when you're
polishing up your sentences andyour paragraphs, don't be afraid
to break the rules in favor ofletting your voice shine
through.
So, for example, maybe yourteenage protagonist speaks in
run-on sentences when they'renervous.
Or maybe your hard-boileddetective uses fragments.
(11:27):
No matter what it is, that isokay.
And in my opinion, voice trumpsperfection at the line level in
most cases.
Not always, and there isdefinitely a certain balance to
aim for, but I do think voice isreally important.
The key is knowing when you'rebreaking a rule on purpose
versus when you're just beingunclear.
Alright, so if you want to takeaction on this tip, what I want
(11:47):
you to do is take one page ofyour manuscript and go through
it in three separate passes.
The first pass, I just want youto read for clarity.
So can someone follow the basicaction and emotion?
And I want you to mark anythingthat might be confusing.
In the second pass, I want youto read for flow.
So does the pace and the tonematch what's happening in the
scene?
Again, mark things up that mightbe confusing or that might throw
(12:10):
off the pace or the tone.
And then on your third pass, youcan polish and play with words
once you've addressed theclarity and the flow.
All right, so that is myfavorite tip.
I really recommend following ahierarchy when you're working on
your line editing.
And I promise this will makerevision so much more effective
and way less overwhelming.
Remember, you can't polish whatisn't clear, so always start
(12:32):
with clarity first.
All right, now next up we'regonna hear a tip from Alice
Sudlow, so let's just dive rightinto Alice's tip.
SPEAKER_02 (12:41):
Hi, my name is Alice Sudlow, and I'm a developmental
editor and book coach.
I specialize in late stagerefinement that walks the line
between developmental and lineediting.
I help writers take big picturestory clarity and turn it into
line level edits that make everyscene unput downable.
Effective line edits start witha deep understanding of what
(13:04):
your story is about in the bigpicture.
The goal of line editing isn'tsimply to make the words and the
sentences prettier for the sakeof being pretty.
It's to calibrate every word formaximum emotional impact on your
reader.
That is to say, it's to takewhat you mean for your book to
do and make your book do thatthing even more.
(13:24):
In order to do that, you mustunderstand what the global story
is doing.
What is your story about?
And you must understand what thescene that you're editing is
doing, what changes in thisscene, and why does it matter to
the overall story?
And from there, you can makemicro, line level choices that
make that change really clear.
(13:45):
Everything.
Where to use dialogue or addinteriority or describe the
setting, where to expand withmore moment-by-moment detail and
where to summarize, whether tosay your character walks or
strolls or paces or meanders.
Everything.
Every single individual wordchoice is in service to that
change.
So, for instance, in the openingscene of The Seven Husbands of
(14:08):
Evelyn Hugo by Taylor JenkinsReed, we meet Monique, who is
working a low-level job writingpuff pieces at a magazine.
Her story arc in the entire bookis about what she's willing to
do or not in order to rise instatus at her job.
In the opening scene, her boss,Frankie, offers her this amazing
opportunity to write anexclusive feature with the
(14:28):
famous actress Evelyn Hugo.
This scene is about this giantopportunity which will make or
break Monique's career, andwhether she's got the guts to
accept it.
So, on the line level, everyword of this scene emphasizes
that meaning.
Monique's low status, Monique'slow confidence, and how those
will start to rise by the end ofthe scene.
(14:50):
Let's take a look at how thatworks.
Here's one line from thebeginning of the scene.
I calmly sit and cross my legs.
I let Frankie talk first.
The adverb calmly.
The actions of sitting andcrossing her legs, the choice to
let Frankie talk first.
All of these emphasize Monique'sdemure submission to her boss.
Here's another line from theend.
(15:11):
After Monique has pushed Frankieto give her the feature, shock
and searing pride run through meas I extend my own hand.
I make sure my handshake isstrong.
Frankie's is a vice.
Everything here emphasizes thestart of Monique's rise,
especially in her confidence.
There are emotion words, shockand pride, that point us to
Monique's new confidence and howsurprised she is by it all.
(15:35):
There's some energizingfigurative language.
It's fearing pride that runsthrough Monique.
She doesn't just have a stronghandshake, she makes sure she
has a strong handshake.
And yet Frankie is stillstronger.
Her handshake is advice.
Every line level choice thatTaylor Jenkins Reed makes
throughout that entire sceneemphasizes the meaning and
(15:56):
purpose of this scene.
That Monique begins in lowstatus and confidence, but makes
a choice to start to rise.
Which brings me back to my tipfor you.
Every time you sit down to lineedit your manuscript, ground
yourself in what your story isabout.
What is your character's arc ofchange in the novel as a whole?
How does the scene that you'reediting right now contribute to
(16:19):
that character arc?
Why does the scene matter toyour story?
What change in the scene do youwant to emphasize?
And then use that big pictureclarity as your guiding light to
make every line level choice.
Your words won't simply getprettier.
They will become moremeaningful, more potent and
powerful to your readers, andcarry the emotional resonance
(16:40):
that your story is designed tocreate.
SPEAKER_03 (16:43):
This is such important advice, and Alice is
absolutely right that every lineshould serve a purpose, whether
it's revealing character,advancing the plot, or deepening
our understanding of the storyworld.
So thank you to Alice for thisreminder to ground our line
edits in the bigger picture ofwhat our story is trying to
accomplish.
As always, we will link to whereyou can find and connect with
(17:04):
Alice in the show notes.
Now I'm gonna share my otherfavorite tip, which has to do
with creating rhythm throughsentence variety.
And this is one of my favoritesbecause it can really impact and
or change how your prose feelsto readers.
So what do I mean by this?
Well, think about music for asecond.
What makes a song interesting orwhat makes a song stand out?
(17:26):
It's not just about the notes,right?
It's the rhythm and the way thebeats create patterns and then
break them.
And your sentences work in theexact same way.
If you have too many shortsentences in a row, your prose
feels choppy, like this.
See?
It's exhausting.
It's robotic.
Readers can't settle in.
But if you only write in longflowing sentences that meander
(17:47):
through multiple clauses andideas, incorporating various
thoughts and observations asthey unfold across the page,
your readers will feel likethey're drowning in words and
they'll lose track of whatyou're trying to say.
Right?
Big difference in those twoexamples.
And the magic here happens whenyou mix things up.
So short sentences can be usedto create punch, they can grab
attention, and they're perfectfor action or for surprise, or
(18:09):
for moments when yourcharacter's world tilts.
And then you can follow with alonger sentence that lets the
reader process what justhappened and that gives them the
space to breathe and settle backinto the story.
Now you might be thinking, isthere some kind of formula for
this?
How do I know how many shortsentences versus long sentences
to use?
And unfortunately, there is noformula.
(18:30):
I can't tell you just to usethree short sentences followed
by two long ones.
And the reason for that isbecause that would make your
prose feel just as mechanical ashaving no variety at all.
So instead, you need to let theemotion and the action of your
scene guide the rhythm.
Let's say your character ispanicking, you can use short,
choppy, and breathlesssentences.
(18:51):
Their thoughts are fragmented,so your sentences can be too.
If you're writing a momentwithin a scene where the
character is reflecting on amemory or having some kind of
peaceful moment, that's when youcan let your sentences unspool
and you can allow readers tosink into that slower, more
contemplative pace.
All right, so always think aboutthe action and emotion of your
(19:11):
scene and then use that as abarometer for the length of your
sentences in any given moment.
Also, you can keep an eye outfor how you're opening each
sentence as well.
So you don't want to start everysentence with a character's name
or with dialogue or with action.
Instead, you want to mix it upso that every sentence feels
fresh and purposeful for thereader.
Now, if you want to take actionon this tip, here is your
(19:32):
exercise, and it's kind of asimple one.
Read your work out loud.
And I really mean read it outloud, don't just read it in your
head.
And that's because your ear willcatch rhythm problems that your
eye misses.
When you stumble, when you runout of breath, when all the
sentences start blurringtogether, that's where you need
variety.
So when you're editing, markthose spots and then experiment
(19:54):
with the length of yoursentences.
You could turn two shortsentences into one longer one,
you could break that mammothsentence into smaller pieces.
You know, just play with ituntil it sounds right.
And remember that varying yoursentence structure isn't about
following rules.
It's about creating anexperience for your reader.
So it's about making them feelwhat your character feels
(20:14):
through the very rhythm of yourwords.
And if you master this, yourprose will come alive and you'll
be so proud of what you'vewritten.
All right, now next up we'regonna hear from Julie Arts.
So let's just go ahead and diveright into Julie's clip.
SPEAKER_00 (20:29):
Hello, my name is Julie Arts, and I'm an author,
editor, and book coach who helpswriters like you slay their
doubt demons and get theirmanuscripts reader ready.
One of the steps that you needto take before sending your
manuscript out into the world isdoing a thorough line edit.
That's why I'm here today totalk with you about five tips
(20:50):
for making your line editingshine.
Number one, my best tip for lineediting is to read your entire
manuscript out loud.
You heard me.
I know it's hard, it takes along time.
I really highly recommend doingit from a treadmill desk if you
have access and making sure thatyou have a big bottle of water,
(21:12):
because you will lose your voicewhen you do this step.
But there's no better way tofind repeated words, extra
dialogue tags, and clunkyphrasing than to sit down and
read your manuscript out loud.
Tip number two, know your junkwords.
Whether they're filters like sheheard, she saw, she felt, or
(21:34):
conjunctions like and, but,that, or so, or any words that
you know you use too often, nowis the time to sit down with
find and replace and identifythem.
And the great thing about usingfind and replace is they'll tell
you exactly how many timesyou've used a word.
So if you type but into find andreplace and you find that you've
(21:54):
used it 852 times, that's apretty good indication that you
need to go through and do someline level editing to reduce the
usage of that word.
Another thing that writers areoften worried about is how to
reduce overall word count, butwithout cutting all those scenes
that you know from doing yourdevelopmental editing on
structural work need to be inyour story.
(22:17):
Well, one of the things that Irecommend to writers who are
hoping to cut maybe 10% fromtheir word count is to look at
the opening and closing of yourscenes.
Most people write their way intoscenes a little bit and write
their way out of scenes a littlebit with some extra padding that
when you cut it can reduce yourtotal word count, but without
(22:41):
losing a single necessary scene.
My fourth tip is to liven upyour verbs.
It can seem necessary to put ina bunch of adjectives to be
really descriptive becauseeditors are telling you all the
time, be specific, right?
So I'm here to tell you thatadjectives are not the best way
to do that.
Instead, using vivid verbs canreally, really help bring your
(23:05):
prose alive, but without addinga bunch of purple adjectives.
And finally, my fifth tip formaking your line editing shine
is actually to create a stylesheet.
And this is something that yourcopy editor and proofreader will
thank you for when the timecomes for those final two steps
in the process.
A style sheet is just a documentthat has the accurate spelling
(23:30):
and description of things likelocations, names of your
characters, and especially anyfantasy or world-building
elements that are part of yourstory.
I actually start doing that atthe very beginning of my
drafting process because there'snothing worse than getting
halfway through a manuscript andrealizing that you have spelled
a character's name fourdifferent ways throughout the
(23:52):
manuscript.
That can lead to a line editingnightmare, and we want to avoid
that.
So just create a style sheetthat can either be a separate
word document or I use an extrafile in my scrivener doc to
track those names and spellings.
And then when the time comes,you can use them to double check
(24:14):
your manuscript and make surethat you've gotten everything as
consistent as it can be.
I hope you found these tips formaking your line editing shine
helpful.
Thanks so much for having me.
SPEAKER_03 (24:25):
Julie has given us such a comprehensive toolkit
here, and I especially love theadvice about reading your work
out loud because your ear reallywill catch things that your eyes
miss every single time.
So thank you to Julie forsharing these five really
practical tips and techniquesthat writers can start using
immediately.
If you're listening and you wantto connect with Julie, we will
(24:46):
include her links in the shownotes as well.
All right, so whether you'regetting ready to revise your
first draft or if you're on whatyou hope is your last pass
through your manuscript, I hopethese tips will help you
approach your line editing withmore confidence and clarity.
And a big thank you to Karen, toAlice, and to Julie for sharing
their wisdom with us in today'sepisode.
As always, we will link to whereyou can find them around the
(25:08):
internet in the show notes.
Alright, so that's it for thisepisode of the Fiction Writing
Made Easy Podcast.
Head over to savannagilbo.comforward slash podcast for the
complete show notes, includingthe resources I mentioned today,
as well as bonus materials tohelp you implement what you've
learned.
And if you're ready to get morepersonalized guidance for your
(25:29):
specific writing stage, whetheryou're just starting out, stuck
somewhere in the middle of adraft, drowning in revisions, or
getting ready to publish, takemy free 30-second quiz at
savanagilbo.com forward slashquiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help you getto your next big milestone.
Last but not least, make sure tofollow this podcast in your
(25:49):
podcast player of choice becauseI'll be back next week with
another episode full ofactionable tips, tools, and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.