How to Line Edit | Editing Your Writing #1!

[@morganburnham3391]

small thought here - i find it so fascinating how in the third excerpt, shaelin automatically assumed the main character was male while i was envisioning a female the entire time. really shows the differences in how people may perceive your work and the language you use without clarification.

[@fkdjdjcmckdjdjf3728]

this could be a genre thing- all i see on writertube is YA fiction work, so I tend to assume that a female is being referred to

[@myownbravado]

I also thought that was interesting! I also assumed female, too, and I’m not sure why I thought that. Maybe because I automatically think weddings are more significant for women? Even though the narrator already said the wedding itself was insignificant. While I don’t necessarily thing gender matters, it’s a good reminder that readers are going to assume it if they aren’t told in some way.

[@spiralsun1]

Gender. 😐🤷‍♀️

[@bhavikasicka7871]

I also thought it was a woman, who was being compared to the "haughty women wearing Valentino and carrying Chanel" instead of to the "men dressed in Burberry suits" who were holding these women, but the fault lies with the author's vague writing ("Mom would say that I could have been one of them" doesn't specify who the "them" is, but if it did, it could have revealed the narrator's gender.)

[@Z_pixel]

@@bhavikasicka7871 I thought they were a man until this scene came up

[@vinco66613]

Line editing is the most satisfying thing since Q-Tips.

[@michaelcoetzee4344]

Agreed

[@arthuraydin8731]

I realize I'm quite randomly asking but does anybody know a good place to stream new series online ?

[@emersoncaspian8726]

@Arthur Aydin Flixportal xD

[@arthuraydin8731]

@Emerson Caspian Thank you, signed up and it seems to work =) Appreciate it !!

[@emersoncaspian8726]

@Arthur Aydin happy to help =)

[@taggartmaclay7710]

reading everyone's amazing short stories and excerpts made me realize how much i need to improve

[@jacobfranklin730]

shaelin explaining how we look like birds when we take off our jackets is not the content i expected, but it's the content i needed

[@elled.3544]

your prose is fantastic! i loved "cherry and jane in the garden of eden" as it was remarkably well-written. therefore, i cannot wait for the future installments of this editing series.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Thank you very much!!

[@maya-gur695]

I somehow missed the announcement that you were doing this! That's so kind of you.

[@ShaelinWrites]

If I do another one (though it'll be a while from now haha I have a lot of writing to edit!) it'll be on my community tab!

[@AJShiningThreads]

I missed it too - darn

[@augusthawley5504]

The simile to a verb trick just solved all my problems??

[@ShaelinWrites]

it is *life changing*

[@billyalarie929]

​@@ShaelinWrites so i just realized i never finished watching this thing, aaaaaaaand i just got to that part, aaaaaaaaaaaand is it hyperbole to say r e l i g i o u s e x p e r i e n c e ? no. i genuinely think not.

[@guardianfish7718]

If only it worked so well in other languages too

[@th3logician]

“Verbs are a religious experience” The subtle genius of Shaelin’s writing ability is just incredible.

[@cherrry7799]

I watched a different channel do something like this and while their edits were valid, they were so condescending, arrogant, and rude. It was so distasteful. I love how kind and gentle you are.

[@alexsnewhandle]

I really liked the first Excerpt! I think a lot of the editted out bits were deliberate: it shows the protagonist distancing himself from a painful memory. its grief, and sorrow, abandoned houses and happy times.

[@ShaelinWrites]

There is definitely a lot of great stuff happening in the first excerpt! Since I don't know the context or intention, I focused on streamlining the prose to provide as many options as possible, but if the author thinks something I cut was important for their intention then they certainly should leave it as it was!

[@danieltenny817]

I must say I love that you included personal preferences of choice of words, as it's something lots of editors won't do (so they won't change the context or the author's meaning). It does help a lot and I learned tons! Great video, and nice idea for a series indeed. Your process is awesome!

[@ShaelinWrites]

I might not do it as much when editing in a workshop (or I'd leave all the changes as suggestions in a note, rather than track changes), but since this was an educational video I wanted to show as many options and edits as possible!

[@TurtlesAndTortoises302]

Shaelin can you please do a video on putting clues in your writing, say you're writing a very long complicated book series and you need to put clues in all of your books to tie them together. How do I do that? ✨

[@ShaelinWrites]

That's a cool topic, thanks for the suggestion!

[@kal-muzel875]

Yesss I need

[@michaelcoetzee4344]

I'd love to have someone put it into words. I edit and proofread a lot of books and sometimes I refer your videos to the authors. This topic would be really helpful for authors that try to write dramatic reveals, but it just ends up feeling disconnected from the plot.

[@billyalarie929]

does this include foreshadowing? because i would love this, if it doesn't already exist.

[@jenniferspears7074]

Excellent question ❤️

[@rachelthompson9324]

I participate in critique groups as much to help others as to help myself. By seeing other's work, I see my own mistakes. This puts new eyes on how I see my work. Copy and line editing others helps us more than them when approached with the right attitude: a willingness to learn.

[@Scumsplat]

OMG!! please do more of these types of videos- heck make it a series! Ha, it's just so insightful and interesting to watch :) p.s. i feel so motivated whenever i watch one of your videos, so thank you!

[@elisa8666]

that changing the metaphor with a verb is incredible... unfortunate that in Italian is incredibly difficult to do 🥺 ps: this is like the most helpful and educational video I’ve seen in a long while, I adored it 😍

[@PermaPen]

That's amazing, thank you (and to the brave authors)! It shows the distance between so-so and powerful may be a little bit of word-tinkering; not throwing it all out the window and starting again in tears. I entered a few 500-word competitions last year, always having to squash 1000 words to half-size - that was most instructive, in terms of creating shorter, stronger phrasing.

[@SaveMoreThanHoneyBees]

Been learning from you for years and I gotta say it's amazing to see you grow as an author; being about as concrete as it gets due to the video's nature really crystalizes the distance you've come since giving us tips in your beanie. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

[@LeoMafraArt]

Loved this video so much! Can't wait to experiment with my verbs and condense my phrases tomake them punchier. Also loved your attitude about the whole process, very light, open-minded and engouraging. Can't wait for the next video!

[@ShaelinWrites]

I'm excited to make the next one, I love line editing!

[@davidstys9734]

This is so good. I love the idea of her editing as opening our minds to new 'options' and not necessarily how it needs to be done.

[@Pixelkvist]

I love this so much, please do more of this! :D I treasure all videos like this that I can find since it helps me so much with prose!

[@YncFlrZ]

It's such a delight watching you work. And it motivates me to do the same. I cut 10 "just"s, 13 "then"s and 22 "and"s out of my extract for my query. THANK YOU. And the fun part is: I'm writing in german and your video helped me none the less.

[@insoLentLuvsAsSy]

I love watching line editing videos like this. I learned many things about how I should approach my story during revision or writing a new chapter. Thank you for this! 🤘🏻

[@myownbravado]

This is so fascinating! In the classes I’ve taken, we haven’t been able to worry too much about line editing in our projects so I’ve never had the chance to just sit down and watch someone line edit something before?? Amazing. I’ve already learned so much and I would definitely watch more of these!

[@writeitdown2013]

This is great! Love seeing the nitty gritty details of the craft

[@eldunari0291]

i didn’t know you were doing this! i love getting to hear other people’s work, and combined with editing advice, this is gonna be a cool video!!

[@Rebekkamaria]

You are absolutely lovely and this was so interesting. Your writing style is more literary than mine, but I love the imagery you create and it clicks with how I see and feel and experience writing. So yeah, these are helpful and interesting. Thank you, Shaelin. Much appreciated!

[@ShaelinWrites]

I'm so happy it helped! I think these concepts apply to any writing style too!

[@charlesc.r.9324]

my piece wasnt chosen so im just gonna assume it was too good to edit and that it had no flaws 🤗

[@ShaelinWrites]

(on one hand I did just pick the first three in my document) but ALSO yes you should assume that :)

[@Summer-uq1vr]

Clearly✨

[@Letha222]

I've enjoyed dozens of your videos but I wanted to tell you this is my favorite so far. I look forward to more in this series. Thanks.

[@imaginativebibliophile549]

Shaelin, This was lovely to watch and I learned a lot about line editing my own work as well as the work of others. I am currently beta reading a book and working on my writing at the same time. The stories submitted are beautiful and have a lot of potential and I love how they are enhanced by simply changing words here and there. All of the stories were lucid and filled with emotion. I will certainly send in my work next time. I had a little trouble choosing what to send. I love you

[@passantamreltarek9946]

This is was so fun to watch...I can't wait for the next one already! I hope you get to my excerpt at some point :)

[@ShaelinWrites]

excited to get to yours, I loved reading all the work everyone has sent in!

[@thenaturekingwoo]

With the semester starting next week and me knowing I won't learn half the creative writing things I actually want to lol, I have to say I needed this. Thank you!

[@connorkennedy1794]

I don't know if you read comments on old videos, but your line editing videos are particularly useful for clarifying the thought process behind editing changes. Thank you very much. It is particularly insightful at teaching me to look for opportunities for specificity, conciseness, and familiar phrases, while noting and unclear ideas or awkward wording.

[@Eldorado1239]

Best part is, you always learn something no matter whose writing or who's editor. Great stuff! And fun too.

[@faerae666]

🎶“Tempted by the verb of another. Tempted but the verb is discovered. What’s been going on. Now that verb is strong” 🎶

[@The-Strong-One]

I read your comment the same time she said that

[@amandarandomtube4793]

I love this! You're one of those people that the world would benefit from having clones of. It would be so cool if there were enough of you to write all your stories and edit all of ours too

[@eimearlawlor4338]

Thank you for posting these videos. I binge-watched all of them over Easter weekend

[@ElectricPopTart18]

This was really cool seeing your thought processes in real time as you read and critiqued, I learned a lot of helpful tips I can use for my own writing! Thanks for the great video!

[@tia2108]

your advice about adding more concrete imagery is insanely helpful. as of late i’ve been writing more about the abstract and i hadn’t realised that concrete imagery can be equally as effective whilst also being more engaging. (not that the abstract can’t be engaging, but balance is important lol). i felt like my writing was lacking something and now i finally know what. have you already done a video expanding on this? i feel it would be a really great topic to discuss :)

[@nocturnus009]

The sooner we embrace the iterative process the better.

[@brigida2350]

This is exhilarating, now I understand why someone would want to be an editor.

[@veronikachristen2373]

Thanks for doing this video and thanks to all the writers who sent in their pieces! That was really helpful! :)

[@melodid5023]

I love it! Thank you for the education and for opening gates in my brain that I didn't know where there XD Abd thanks to everyone for the stories. They are all very interesting!!!

[@genretypebeats4612]

These are my favorite videos.

[@JRTProds28]

Oh, how did I miss this request? Maybe next time. This is a great idea, Shaelin, and thanks. Very helpful.

[@Mark-xf3fe]

This is so useful! I play this video and when You edit something that ai recognise or may do myself I pause the video and search through my manuscript for it. I’ve edited so much. This is way more usedful than simple stating hints

[@kittysqueezer]

I have no idea what line writing is. I’m a new writer but your content and channel and way of presenting information, is definitely helping me figure out this whole crazy process that is writing and authorship. :)

[@fkdjdjcmckdjdjf3728]

line editing is basically when you go through a piece and add notes/edit each line. not every single line has to be edited, but it's basically aggressively revising but not actually re-writing. this isn't so much of a focus on grammar (though that can be included), but more like going 'hey, upon re-reading this sentence, i realise that this could be written more effectively' it's sort of like after you've written the full manuscript and you're not planning on re-writing the whole thing anymore, you're going through and making any improvements you can. people usually line edit after taking a break from the manuscript or after writing the whole thing instead of before the entire story is finished, so that you can see it from fresher eyes.

[@qormi1000]

Thank you. This was an excellent lesson for us all. More like these please.

[@yuu_rei]

Hi! I'm new to your channel, just found you this morning, but you've already helped me with my drafts more than anyone and anything else and I just want to tell you I'm immensely grateful for this. Really, I've been struggling with my draft for so long but after this I went ahead and edited it the way you did and oh my god. I'm just. wow. thank you. sorry I went on a rant.

[@traceyking7299]

Hey, I'm watching all of your videos. They are helping so much as I am trying to polish my manuscript. X

[@omegaminoseer4539]

This was very insightful for me on my road to being a better author! While line editing seems like it will take a lot of time, I have faith that it will help me to grow well beyond my limits of a first draft. The notes about using certain words or phrases as, "crutches," was very agonizing. I happen to use **only** far more than I should.

[@authorEE_ESE]

The story with "Old San Juan" has me wondering if the author is from Puerto Rico, or maybe they visited the island at one point. ♥♥

[@abdoul5176]

Props to those who submitted.

This is so satisfying to watch

[@Youcifer]

This video helped me identify my filter-word problem. Bless you, Shaelin.

[@rev6215]

Love the new background

[@rev6215]

I know it's the old background nust from a different angle but I love it

[@ReaderReborn]

Thank you for the content. Been sharing it with my writing group.

[@paulabates2547]

this is one of the most helpful videos I've ever watched.

[@lizgonzalez491]

I love this! I kept running to my computer to edit. Yes. Do more.

[@marzy1063]

i watched a lot of your videos and some from a while back and i love how each video ive seen your hair gets shorter and shorter

[@BirdsNThings]

Thanks for this video. I found it very helpful. Literary makeover how-to :)

[@olivegranola]

this is going to be SO USEFUL for me to edit, thank you so much!!! love this idea

[@reverie927]

This video is so helpful! Please make more of these if you can, it's packed with great advices. :)

[@leech1355]

I am so here for this content. 2021 Shaelin coming through! ❤️ *watches immediately*

[@anilogo682]

I love making sentences more specific! Best tip ever. Do you also have a video about the do and don'ts of foreshadowing in books (to make a slowly build up story more tense)?

[@markbradford9249]

Nice to see your expertise first hand, thanks :)

[@dylanradclyffe9074]

You clearly know your stuff. Have learnt so much from this, thank you.

[@Jubilee88]

Found your channel today. You’re brilliant.

[@JoelAdamson]

Nothing adds more to your credibility than showing that you know the actual definition of "vulnerable."

[@rachelswabey293]

Not roasting, and I'm a subeditor rather than a copy editor, but 'twelve years old' doesn't need hyphens. If you're talking about 'a twelve-year-old' (noun), that's when you use the hyphens. I love these line editing videos, btw. They're so helpful, thank you!

[@lakeshagadson357]

she is the best person I have in my class

[@michaellauritano5252]

I always learn so much when you do these

[@RedWizardFox]

Man I wish I saw this video months ago so you could have helped me with my book. If you EVER need more examples I'm 100% willing to have you help me.

[@P21-j4t]

This video was so helpful, thank you so much!!

[@samanthabledsoe7129]

Fun video. Your feedback is fascinating. I need to go back and look at my own writing a little closer.

[@iluvSchleeping]

This is so helpful. Thank you

[@opollitico]

MORE MORE MORE videos like this, PLEEEEEEEASE!!! 💕💕💕

[@rachelwritesbooks]

i love this video just had to say that okay goodbye!!!

[@ShaelinWrites]

🥰🥰🥰

[@Mikeztarp]

If someone ever wanted to lure Shaelin into a shady van, it wouldn't work with candy. You'd need verbs.

[@עדיעקיבא-ד4ו]

I realy enjoyed that. More please!

[@Nate1975]

You are so lovely and yes, obsessed with verbs 😂 not the thing I like, sounds made-up, but sometimes, rarely it does work

[@gcwishbone]

Really liked the voice of the excerpt #2. I also had to reread the last line, but seems like "it" is the moment. A cool way to organize the sentence but maybe a bit much of a stretch for readers to reliably understand

[@fien4878]

Omg I need more of these

[@bobsrussi598]

i feel like I just took like five creating writing classes! thanks

[@carlarodriguez7671]

Thank you so much! This is so helpful!

[@kxrimgh]

this video was so helpful! I'd love to submit some writing for future videos like this! :) (i know it's not for a while but still lmao)

[@leivangel4977]

This was super informational! Thank you for sharing.

[@Mikeztarp]

I have to disagree on a little point here: "stood" is not the same as "stood up". The former describes an upright position, but the latter a transition to an upright position from another (e.g. sitting). A common mistake is to use "stand up" instead of "stand" but the preposition isn't always useless.

[@WiscoDrinks]

If the character was shown to be in a sitting position previously, stood would have the same meaning as stood up.

[@blee0d]

I think in the last one in which the story was being melodramatic. Probably the writer have some poetic way of telling something. LOL . Not sure but kinda getting those vibes.

[@MusicianSamir]

Needed this!

[@billyalarie929]

200th like. you're welcome everybody that who is bothered by such unresolved tensions.

[@ShaelinWrites]

what would we do without you 🙏

[@billyalarie929]

@@ShaelinWrites this just made up for the hellish week i've had!

[@sazmarie1281]

What are you going to vlog next? Love your videos!

[@SpiritedHeart94]

“You can’t really point crooked-forward.” Me with double-jointed pointer fingers: you sure about that?

[@lameasstv1140]

9:14 i feel like the sun only yoyo's east to west, like sunrise and sunset, and that sounds cleaner too.

[@joshuaisaac99]

Love this!

[@ApoloBelvedere]

the second one reminded me of picture of dorian gray, somehow

[@billyketchallen]

Very helpful

[@songfrank1462]

most nouns can be used as verbs, known as verbing or verbify

[@amenasultanaoishe]

Plzzzz make more video like this ❤❤❤

[@PedroRodriguez-dl5yt]

I don't know if it's autosuggestion, but I see in you a great resemblance to Alice Monro when Alice was young and as a writer, of course.

[@sophied1703]

I learned today many thnig s about line editing, but also that i cant have someone wink at me without me immediately winking back