Megan Manzano

Whenever I'm line editing for a MS, I'm looking for:

How pacing affects the story
Extraneous/repeat word usage
How to strengthen paragraphs
If style/voice holds throughout
Repetitive information
Unclear description/message

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Why? Line edits focus on the line by line structure of your story. If you delete chapters or paragraphs, add missing information, etc, your sentences will change therefore voiding any line edits that have already been done.

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Line editing should also occur AFTER a developmental edit and AFTER your revisions are complete.

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Line editing is a focus on how you use language and sentence structure to communicate your story to an audience.

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To preface this conversation, line editing is not proofreading or developmental editing or copy editing. It's an entirely separate entity that tends to get lumped in with other editing styles.

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As I began this thread, a prologue isn't 100% a no go. Rather, it often falls into traps that hurt a story more than it helps.

It's important to examine why you want to include it and how it's operating to improve your story.

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The main questions you should ask if you're writing a prologue are:

1. How is it setting up my story?
2. Can I provide this information in another way?
3. Would I want to read this prologue myself or skip to chapter 1?

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Often, you can convey a lot of this backstory through internal thought of your character, sensory details, or implications of your world.

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One of the biggest prologue traps I see is an entire chapter of exposition/back story. This can be boring to a reader and throw them out of your story before they even have a chance to meet your character.

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Another issue I see with prologues is we start at a different time period than the first chapter. So not only do we need to bridge a character gap, but a time gap.

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The second problem is we start with high stakes that don't hold their own when we enter the next chapter, creating a disconnect for the reader.

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The problem with this is an attachment to this character is created and then taken away if the next chapter begins with a different character.

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The first trap a prologue can fall into is introducing the reader to a character we never see again in order to create an opening hook.

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To preface this thread, not all prologues are bad/fail to convey a point. Rather, there are certain holes they fall into that actually wind up distancing readers from the story.

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While these are basic af examples, they're meant to illustrate how flow can impact message and even allow room for voice.

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I walk into the store. The bell above the door dings. I head for the bread.

The above example differs from:

The bell chimes as I enter the store. My eyes scan the aisles as I try to remember what mom asked me to get. I think it was bread?

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Keep an eye out for repetitive words, sentences that are the same length, choppy versus long sentences.

They impact not only how your story flows but how well you're communicating what you need to your reader.

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The same can be said if you start a sentence with the same word.

I go to the store. I pick up bread. I want to leave.

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This can become monotonous to a reader and lead to a lack of interest/details getting lost.

Without varied sentence structure, one's writing can become like a pattern as opposed to mirroring what's happening in the story, giving voice, etc.

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When you open a story and want to ground your reader, you can fall into the trap of repetitive sentence structure.

They like this. They have blonde hair. They left their apartment.

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