Learn how to elevate the sentence in a novel

Hone your writing and editing craft with articles, books, webinars and audio content dedicated to helping you tell stories that are immersive and compelling rather than overworked and cluttered.

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Articles about line craft

Scroll down to see what's available in this section.

Books for fiction editors and authors

Editing Fiction at Sentence Level

Fiction is about flow, rhythm, mood, voice and style. But mostly it’s about story. When writers self-edit at line level with confidence, story is elevated by the sentence, rather than buried beneath it.

Editing Fiction at Sentence Level shows you how to hone your line craft so that your narrative and dialogue compel readers to turn the page.​

Making Sense of Point of View

Do readers know which character's head they're in? Making Sense of Point of View helps editors and authors understand the different narration styles in commercial fiction.

I teach you how to recognize viewpoint, and hold it, so that readers are immersed in your story and your characters' experiences of the world you've created. Throughout, examples of good and problematic practice are given to illustrate the learning.

Making Sense of ‘Show, Don’t Tell’

‘I cannot tell you how informative and useful I found this’ – Nic Winter, crime writer

​​​This fiction-editing guide helps editors and authors understand the differences between shown and told prose. Learn how to determine whether there are stylistic problems and how to craft solutions. The outcome is a stronger story and a more immersive reading experience.

Making Sense of Punctuation

This fiction-editing guide shows authors and editors how to use different types of punctuation in a novel.

​I go beyond publishing-industry conventions and teach you how to play with punctuation so that your prose is clear but laced with mood and rhythm too.
The voyage through your edits is an intellectual and craft adventure, ​getting me in touch with a different
​and often better way to say things.
DAN FLANIGAN, AUTHOR OF THE PETER O'KEEFE THRILLERS

Courses for writers and editors

How to Line Edit for Suspense

Learn how to identify suspense points in a novel and evaluate their effectiveness. Use the trifecta to edit for improved reader experience and to communicate your revisions with confidence.

​Want to find out more about the course? Follow the link in the button below.

​Narrative Distance:
​A Toolbox for Writers and Editors

‘Told me masses of new stuff, and gave me a set of new tools to use immediately.’ – SoA @ Home Festival​ attendee
This webinar teaches professional fiction editors and commercial fiction authors how to recognize and control narrative (psychic) distance, and edit for a better reader experience.​

How to Edit Slurs in Dialogue

​This self-paced course teaches editors about six adaptable tools that can be used when line editing dialogue containing discriminatory language.

Sense and sensibility are at the heart of the teaching. You’ll learn how to offer solutions based on sound editorial judgement, and that respect character voice, dialogue flow, and reader engagement.​

How to Punctuate Dialogue

​This self-paced course teaches editors, proofreaders and writers how to punctuate dialogue in a novel according to publishing-industry conventions.

Practice exercises and model answers help you test your skills and knowledge so that you can edit with confidence.

Preparing Your Book for Submission

'The BEST event I have been to on how to edit a manuscript. I learned so much!' – ​SoA @ Home Festival​ attendee
This 30-minute webinar teaches commercial fiction authors 11 pithy line-editing tips that make a substantive difference to writing flow and reader experience.

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Listen to The Immersive Fiction Collection

Listen to these episodes of The Editing Podcast in which Denise and Louise chat with independent authors and editors about sensitive and immersive fiction.