What is Line Editing? It’s Refining Your Voice and Style so the Reader Stays on the Page

Riggs and Murtaugh going through a line edit

Line editing is a detailed, line-by-line edit that focuses on smoothness, clarity, and readability while preserving your unique voice and style. It usually comes after a developmental edit and before copyediting, if your manuscript needs sentence-level refinement in addition to grammar and punctuation.

Not every writer needs a line edit, but many choose to go through this stage to ensure their manuscript reads as polished, engaging, and precise as possible.

What Line Editing Covers

During a line edit, I look closely at:

• Clarity of meaning — eliminating jargon or overly complex phrasing. Sometimes a sentence is correctly formed (noun, verb, predicate) but elements are missing or are in the wrong order, or there are too many that make it unclear who is doing the action, or who the adjective applies to, or when the action was taking place. The writer knows this in their head, but the information never made it onto the page.

  
  

• Word choice — replacing clichés or vague terms with precise, powerful language. For example “It made me angry” tells the reader how the narrator was feeling, but there are other words that could convey a stronger image of the feeling (i.e. “I was so angry I could feel pure wrath boiling up inside me”).

  
  

• Flow and readability — smoothing awkward sentences, transitions, or pacing. For example: “She finished her coffee, then she got up, and she left the room.” reads choppy and abrupt. A smoother version might be, “She drained the last sip of coffee, pushed back her chair, and walked out of the room,” which creates a more natural flow and rhythm.

  
  

• Tone and atmosphere — ensuring emotion and voice come through clearly. For example: “I spoke to the audience” is flat and lacks tone. Changing it to “I leaned toward the microphone, my voice trembling with conviction as I addressed the crowd” brings the scene to life and reveals both mood and intent.

  
  

• Consistency — identifying overused words or patterns that weaken impact. If every paragraph starts with “I remember,” the repetition dulls the narrative. Varying sentence openings—“Those summer days stand out vividly” or “The smell of salt and sunscreen still lingers”—keeps the writing fresh and engaging.

How It Works

• Edits are made directly on the page with Track Changes turned on in Microsoft Word.

• You receive detailed comments and suggestions (using the Comment feature in Word) to refine flow, language, and tone.

• You remain in control—suggestions are options, not fixes—so you can accept, reject, or adapt them as you see fit. The last decision regarding your words will always relies on you and your preferences. This is a collaborative process where the goal is not to “correct” your writing, but to help your story resonate more clearly and powerfully with readers.

Why Line Editing Matters

While copyediting ensures technical accuracy, line editing ensures literary quality. It’s what makes the difference between a manuscript that’s simply correct and one that captures and holds the reader’s attention.

A line edit helps you:

• Clarify complex ideas.

• Strengthen emotional impact.

• Eliminate distractions so readers stay immersed.

All of this encourages the reader to stay glued to your text—not to reach for their phone or drift away into another tab—because your writing guides them effortlessly from one idea to the next.

The writer’s object should be to hold the reader’s attention. I want the reader to turn the page and keep on turning until the end. —Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian, journalist, and author

Next Step: Get Expert Feedback

Revising on your own is essential, but you don’t have to do it alone. Getting an expert perspective on your manuscript is easy, just schedule a free courtesy consultation. We’ll talk through your project, identify whether a line edit (or another type of edit) is right for you, and create a plan to help you move forward with your manuscript.

👉 Book your consultation here

Note: I only work with nonfiction manuscripts, but I have a list of professional and trustworthy fiction editors I can refer you to so your work stays in good hands. As mentioned on my other posts, I encourage you to budget and save for line editing if you think this is what your manuscript needs. To get an idea of how much you may have to spend to have your manuscript professionally line edited, calculate that here.

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Linda Ruggeri is a nonfiction bilingual editor and writer based out of Napa Valley, California. She specializes in memoir, biographies, cookbooks, how-to books, and Spanish translation reviews.

She’s the author of the IBPA Gold Medal award-winning book Networking for Writers.