You’ve finished your first draft. You’re ready for a substantive or line edit.
This edit focuses on structure, rhythm, and syntax, awkward phrasing, unnecessary repetition, telling versus showing, passive voice, and inconsistencies.
A line edit will look for varied sentence length, transition use of jargon, and whether the vocabulary is appropriate for the intended audience.
A substantive fiction edit also addresses pacing, plot, dialogue, point of view, character development, setting, conflict/tension, and whether there’s too much or too little description.
Per word charge: .02 – .04 (2-4c/word)