Why the World Needs Line Editors
I’m reading a fairly popular thriller author’s newest novel, and I’m finding it a slog because while the story holds up, she really needed a line editor to pare back her worst habits. Here’s an example (I’m inventing this but it conveys the general problem):
Janet clutched the steering wheel. The rain was pouring down! Ahead of her someone braked! And so did Janet, but the rear end of her jeep skidded! She fought to control the skid, trying to remember what her high school driving instructor had taught her about correcting a skid, but she couldn’t remember! She hit the brakes harder! The jeep fishtailed and started turning in circles, entering the oncoming traffic lane. A semi was bearing down!!
I literally could not finish the book after encountering this scene (or the similar one that is actually in the book). And, yes, there was a sentence in the scene where one exclamation point was clearly not enough, and the author used two, and apparently no editor tried to talk any sense into her.
Adding exclamation points does not make the scene more tense!!! In fact, it makes the scene less tense. The reader gets focused on the exclamation points rather than the plot event.
What Line Editing Is
Line editing is the type of editing that addresses issues like this. A good line editor would help the author see how to infuse drama and tension into the scene without relying so heavily on punctuation to tell the tale.
If scenes like the above make you, too, cringe, you might be interested in exploring this type of editing. Think of all the good you could do in the world: You might be able to save an author from publishing a scene like this one (!!!).
