Line editing means to consider each individual sentence as a
unit and to check it for clarity, efficiency and logic.
How is this done?
The steps:
1.
Eliminate
unnecessary modifiers.
Kick out the modifier words that decrease the strength
of prose.
Eg: Simply, lovingly, soothingly, ( hint: words that
end with –ly)
2.
Eliminate
clichés
Read my post about kicking out the clichés
here.
3.
Eliminate
repeated words and phrases
Read the passages and find repeated words and replace
them with their synonym. Look out for character descriptions, or actions that are repeated. Try replacing them with
different phrases or words.
4.
Delete the extra thats, hads and buts.
Many people tend to use a lot of buts, had and that in
their prose. Try to eliminate some of them, without effecting the meaning of
the sentences.
5.
Look up words
whose exact meaning you don’t know:
Some people try to show off their verbosity by relying
on thesaurus and use words that is not at all suitable or grammatically correct.
If you have used an unfamiliar word, look up their meaning in a dictionary and
make sure it conveys the meaning you want to convey.
6.
Use online
tools to find synonyms to replace repeated words.
There are many online thesaurus that helps us find
words that will sound apt and make the sentences more effective and concise.
Use the online tools while doing line editing so that you end up with a clean
and correct prose.
7.
Read it
aloud and rephrase.
Some sentences when we read out aloud loses its charm. Find words and
rephrase the sentence to make it more effective and soothing to the ears.
This post is a part of the APRIL A-Z Challenge
Very useful tips Preethi as many a times I have found that my draft version goes beyond the word limits. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI am glad you felt it useful. Thank you for reading.
DeleteGreat tips again.
ReplyDeleteMy link: http://www.devikafernando.com/blog/blogging-from-a-to-z-challenge-letter-l-love
Thank you Devika :)
DeleteWonderful tips, Preethi! Thanks for sharing them! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Deepti. :)
DeleteI have a great editor. But I do as much editing on my end to help make his life easier.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
A to Z Cohost
Twitter: @StephenTremp
I am sure you are an expert yourself. :)
DeleteAll great tips. I end up using "that" quite a bit in my first draft and at least half of the time (if not more) it simply isn't needed.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy line editing. I appreciate how concise your post is, too!
ReplyDelete