Writing Craft: Master List of Line Editing Skills

Last week we talked about how to know when we’ve learned enough that we can start our editing process. As we discussed in that post, we all have a natural tendency to underestimate where we are on the learning curve because we don’t know what we don’t know.

That means we might think we’re ready to start our editing process before we really know what we’re doing, which can lead to us wasting time and/or money. Not to mention our endless frustration and struggles if we jump the gun.

Instead, as mentioned last week, we need an intelligent guess at where we are on the learning curve before starting the editing process because any advice will be of limited use if we’re not ready to understand.

In that post, Step Two advised us to create a “master list of craft skills.” With that list, we might have a better idea of where we fall on that learning curve, and we’ll get ideas of what skills we should study next.

Me, being the perfectionist that I am, decided to try to take on this project of working up a “master list” that we all can use. But I’m just one brain, so I’m going to get things started, and we can add to this list with your help. *smile*

I’m going to break down this project into three posts, one for each phase of editing:

1. content/developmental editing (fix story and character-level issues)
2. line editing (fix scene and paragraph-level issues)
3. copy editing (fix sentence, word, and grammar-level issues)

The craft skills we’re discussing come up both when we draft and when we edit. After all, whatever we don’t understand during drafting will need to be fixed in editing, and editing generally happens in the order above (as there’s no point in polishing words in a scene that might be cut or entirely rewritten).

We started with the first phase last week, and now we’re continuing with line editing…

What craft skills do we need to
understand and be able to apply
to develop our voice and writing?

What Is Line Editing?

In my experience of searching for freelance editors for my stories, the hardest type of editing to nail down and explain what’s involved is line editing. We can say that line editing is about how we write scenes and paragraphs, but what does that mean as far as skills?

Do you know all these Line Editing Skills? Here's a “master list”... Click To TweetThe skills of line editing can cross boundaries with both the story development skills of developmental editing and the sentence-level skills of copy editing. Those gray lines can make it hard to find good line editors or point out what makes line editing unique. As a result, many self-published authors and traditional publishers skip this step.

However, talented line editing can make our writing sing. And that’s what Line Editing Skills are all about—our writing:

• our voice
• our style
• our techniques
• our choices

Because line editing is all about our writing, we can also struggle to find good line editors because—more than any other phase of editing—line editors must be a good match for our voice.

So between the difficulties of:

• finding a line editor who can actually line edit (many—many—that claim the Line Editor title are really more like copy editors)
• finding a line editor who matches and/or respects our voice
• traditional publishers who skip the line editing phase

…Line Editing Skills are often essential to learn for self-editing. So this list can help us evaluate line editors we might work with as well as develop our own skills.

The Ultimate List of Line Editing Skills

(Disclaimers:

• Yes, this list is hella intimidating. We don’t—and can’t—learn everything at once.
• No, we don’t have to be skilled at all of these before moving forward in our publishing career. Many of these skills will be an ongoing learning process, and the advanced ones will only come with lots of time and practice.
• Yes, as mentioned above, many of these skills overlap with the other lists, but as an example, where developmental editing might look at our skill with showing vs. telling overall, line editing will look at specific examples on a micro level.
• Most of these bullet points are roughly in order of basic to advanced skills.)

Don’t worry. This list gives us a map for our journey, but we’ll never reach the end because there’s always improvements we can make. There is no “done.” *smile*

We need to know how to:

Structure Scenes

• make each scene feel like a mini-story, with a beginning, middle, and endthou
• create a sense of change from beginning to end (something “happens” during the scene)
• ensure that all scenes are necessary (see worksheet) and cut scenes that should be skipped or are gratuitous or distracting tangents
• decide on best point-of-view (POV) character for each scene
• develop effective scene beginnings and endings (starting and ending at right point)
• develop resolution of some sort at scene ending (success, failure, failure but a better direction for next time, success but there will be consequences, etc.)
• anchor readers at beginning of scenes
• understand types and uses of hooks
• ensure every scene has a goal to create opportunity for conflict or “tension gap”
• identify and develop antagonist for each scene
• hook readers at beginning of scenes with “good” use of in media res
• hook readers at end of scenes
• identify what information needs to be shared with readers and what doesn’t
• identify what information needs (or should) be shared with readers in current scene and what should wait for a later scene
• connect scenes with but or so/therefore, not and then transitions
• ensure scenes for story’s major beats include all necessary elements (such as a story’s Climax)
• use transitions to jump over unimportant action, skip boring information, or carry from different POVs or plot threads
• create a cause-and-effect chain in each scene
• create a scene flow that carries readers along
• ensure events/actions/dialogue in scene are logical for fiction
• decide on right tone/mood/feel for scene
• develop scene endings that emphasize scene’s purpose
• use sense of forward movement in scene to create narrative drive
• develop and emphasize turning points, story beats, reveals, epiphanies, and emotional moments to an appropriate level
• ensure scene events are best way to show the point of the scene
• use echoes, foreshadowing, etc. to add depth

Structure Paragraphs and Sentences

• create the fiction equivalent of “topic sentences” for paragraphs (know purpose and point of each paragraph to start new one for different point)
• break paragraphs for dialogue rules (change of speaker)
• break paragraphs for clarity of speaker or action (identify who “owns” each paragraph)
• mix sentence and paragraph beginnings to avoid repetition or monotone rhythm
• mix sentence structure (subordinate phrases, subject/verb/object, compound sentences, etc.) to avoid sense of repetition or monotone rhythm
• break or reorder paragraphs to “un-bury” dialogue from middle of paragraph
• use strong verbs to increase narrative drive
• identify and fix clunky or confusing sentences (often occur when we’re trying to include too many main ideas in one sentence)
• identify and fix order of sentences and paragraphs for smoothest flow of ideas and reader attention
• identify repetitive ideas
• tighten paragraphs and sentences to eliminate repetitive or extraneous words or ideas
• identify and fix overwriting (Resist the Urge to Explain (RUE))
• use “power words” to build and emphasize beginnings and endings of paragraphs and sentences
• create pacing and flow with various sentence lengths within paragraph
• create rhythm and clarity with parallel sentence constructions
• break paragraphs for voice or emphasis
• create contrast for mood or emotion

Develop Voice

• recognize what’s meant by “voice”
• understand what creates voice
• identify what makes our voice
• identify the appropriate voice for our story, genre, and style
• balance elements of voice to avoid the problem of “too much”
• add humor as appropriate
• identify and fix cliché phrases and ideas
• use unique metaphors appropriate to author or character voice
• understand difference between author voice and narrator/POV character voice
• ensure each character has unique voice (humor, rhythm, style, word choice, etc.)
• understand options for when to focus on author voice or when to focus on character voice
• strengthen our rhythm, sentence structure, word choice and other elements of voice
• use rhetorical devices to emphasize elements and strengthen voice
• identify and fix poor writing habits

Evoke Intended Reader Reactions

• understand difference between character emotions and reader emotions
• show emotions of POV character
• show emotions of non-POV character
• use deep POV to strengthen reader emotions
• identify and eliminate filter words to get deeper POV
• vary body language and other descriptors of emotion (avoid too many nods or facial expressions, etc., ignoring other sources of body language)
• identify appropriate strength of “trigger” to evoke desired reaction or emotion
• emphasize and strengthen emotions
• layer emotions to add depth
• ensure emotional journey of decisions and reactions are on the page
• balance the right amount of emotion especially with intense emotional scenes
• ensure our thoughts make it onto the page
• mine our experiences and memories for emotional touchpoints
• use rhythm, metaphors, word choice, etc. to strengthen emotional impact

Develop Characterization

• understand what characterization is
• create characterization (character goals, motivations, behaviors, attitudes, dialogue, thoughts, emotions, etc.) for POV character
• create characterization (stated or subtextual goals, behaviors, actions, attitudes, dialogue, etc.) for non-POV characters
• use goals and motivation to add characterization
• use internalization to add depth
• understand options for internalization and when each option might work best
• know how to layer character elements
• make character vulnerable to increase reader connection
• identify and fix issues with character likability, including for non-POV characters
• identify character stereotypes and address
• understand options for how and when to reveal character’s backstory, wound, false belief, longing, fears, worst nightmare, identity, and essence
• understand pros and cons for each option and when each one might work best

Develop and Weave Story Elements

• understand various elements of prose (narration, action, dialogue, emotion, visceral reactions, etc.)
• understand what weaving means
• understand the benefits of weaving
• balance and mix various elements (narration, action, dialogue, emotion, etc.) to maintain pace (avoid too many of the same type of element-paragraphs in a row)
• balance the right amount of description
• use active setting details in POV and make settings more vivid to avoid flat descriptions
• balance the right amount of backstory to provide context
• avoid backstory/information dumps with weaving
• balance the right amount of character and plot development
• understand what creates sense of repetition within a story, scene, paragraph, and sentence (repeating ideas, reactions, dialogue, paragraph/sentence beginnings, sentence structure, character names, etc.)
• identify and fix repetition problems
• incorporate other senses beyond the basic five
• make appropriate choices to increase reader immersion
• understand what creates subtext
• balance text and subtext to avoid being too on the nose or too confusing
• understand options for sharing information with reader (reveal in dialogue or internalization, etc.) and when each one might work best
• layer multiple elements in each sentence and paragraph (show emotion and hint at subtext, state goals and hint at theme, express motivation and hint at backstory wound, etc.)
• know how to “sell” aspects of our story to disbelieving readers
• know how to be intentional with our writing
• strengthen and layer theme throughout story
• understand how to use subtext, symbols, motifs, metaphors, etc. to enhance storytelling and theme

Develop Goals

• create goals for every scene
• understand how every goal has stakes (consequences for failure)
• understand how conflict, motivations, and stakes all interact with goals
• ensure goals ring true to character and help propel story/scene forward
• use goals to reveal character’s longing, fears, false belief, backstory wound, etc.
• understand the options for revealing goals (subtextual, dialogue, narration, action, character internalization, etc.) and when each option might flow best

Develop Stakes

• develop stakes (consequences) for every choice characters face
• ensure every “failure” has consequences
• raise stakes to appropriate level for point in story
• understand how stakes create motivations for goals
• understand how goals, motivations, and conflict all interact with stakes
• understand the options for revealing stakes (subtextual, dialogue, narration, action, character internalization, etc.) and when each option might flow best

Develop Character Motivations

• create motivations for every goal (What are their reasons for their goals? What do their goals and stakes motivate them to do?)
• ensure motivations are strong enough to explain character choices and actions
• understand how goals, stakes, and conflict all interact with motivations
• understand how tweaking motivations can solve many issues
• use motivations to reveal character’s longing, fears, false belief, backstory wound, etc.
• ensure motivations ring true to character (feels in-character)
• understand options for revealing a character’s motivations (subtextual, dialogue, narration, action, character internalization, etc.) and when each option might flow best

Develop Conflict

• understand different types of conflict (not just fighting)
• ensure conflict appears on every page
• understand how goals, motivations, and stakes all interact with conflict
• understand the options for revealing conflicts (subtextual, dialogue, narration, action, character internalization, etc.) and when each option might flow best

Create and Maintain Tension

• understand what creates sense of tension
• understand how goals, conflicts, and stakes affect tension
• understand how tension affects pacing
• decide on appropriate pace for each scene
• use emotion, paragraph breaks, paragraph elements, contrast, goals, motivations, stakes, obstacles/conflict, subtext, foreshadowing, etc. to create appropriate tension

Create and Balance Pacing

• decide on appropriate pace for each scene
• understand what increases a scene’s pacing
• understand what slows down a scene’s pacing
• use emotion, paragraph breaks, paragraph elements, sentence structure and length, narrative drive (sense of forward movement), goals, motivations, stakes, obstacles/conflict, etc. to create appropriate pacing
• balance providing context and avoiding information dumps

Use Showing and Telling

• understand the difference between showing and telling
• know how to show emotions in both POV and non-POV characters
• know the strengths and weaknesses of each
• know when to show and when to tell
• balance showing and telling for scene’s pace
• identify and fix issues with showing vs. telling

Use Point of View Appropriately

• know what point of view (POV) means
• decide on best POV character for each scene
• know POV transition options between scenes
• know what head-hopping is and why it’s a sign of lazy writing and how to avoid it
• understand what out of POV means
• identify and fix out-of-POV issues
• understand what deep POV is and write in deep POV if appropriate
• understand options for character development and reader immersion in deep POV (showing emotions, internalizations, etc.)

*whew* Yes, this post took as long to put together as you’d think (if not longer…ugh). Hopefully with this list, we can get a feel for where we are on the learning curve as far as line editing skills. And as a bonus, this list might help us know what to look at for self-editing our writing. *smile*

Have you ever created a master list of writing skills? Were you able to come up with a list for line editing? Can you think of additional skills we should add to this list?