diff --git a/chapter_1/exercise_1_18/trailing_blanks.c b/chapter_1/exercise_1_18/trailing_blanks.c
index 6203d76..ddace15 100644
--- a/chapter_1/exercise_1_18/trailing_blanks.c
+++ b/chapter_1/exercise_1_18/trailing_blanks.c
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 #define MAXLINE 1000
 
 int get_line(char line[], int max_line_len);
-void remove_trailing_blanks(char line[], int length);
+int remove_trailing_blanks(char line[], int length);
 
 int main(void)
 {
@@ -12,8 +12,12 @@ int main(void)
 
   while ((len = get_line(line, MAXLINE)) > 0)
   {
-    remove_trailing_blanks(line, len);
-    printf("%s", line);
+    len = remove_trailing_blanks(line, len);
+
+    if (len > 1 || line[0] != '\n')
+    {
+      printf("%s", line);
+    }
   }
 
   return 0;
@@ -39,13 +43,30 @@ int get_line(char line[], int max_line_len)
   return i;
 }
 
-void remove_trailing_blanks(char line[], int length)
+#define HAS_NEWLINE 1
+#define NO_NEWLINE 0
+
+int remove_trailing_blanks(char line[], int length)
 {
-  int i;
+  int i, has_newline;
+
+  has_newline = NO_NEWLINE;
+
+  for (i = length - 1; i >= 0 && (line[i] == '\n' || line[i] == ' ' || line[i] == '\t'); --i)
+  {
+    if (line[i] == '\n')
+    {
+      has_newline = HAS_NEWLINE;
+    }
+  }
 
-  for (i = length - 2; line[i] == ' ' || line[i] == '\t'; --i)
-    ;
+  if (has_newline == HAS_NEWLINE)
+  {
+    line[i + 1] = '\n';
+    line[i + 2] = '\0';
+    return i + 2;
+  }
 
-  line[i + 1] = '\n';
-  line[i + 2] = '\0';
+  line[i + 1] = '\0';
+  return i + 1;
 }