Developmental Editing
You’ve written a draft of your novel, novella, or short story—and you’ve been revising. Congratulations!
Developmental editing (also called substantive or content editing) may be a useful next step. This type of editing helps writers identify and solve problems at the level of the story. It attends to big-picture issues: plot, structure, conflict, character arc, point of view, pacing, theme, worldbuilding, a work’s conversation with its genre.
A developmental edit draws on:
This service includes:
Developmental editing does not involve flagging or correcting typos, grammatical missteps, or other sentence-level issues, although I will mention habits and patterns that I see in the text. It should happen before line editing, copyediting, or proofreading, to avoid wasting a bunch of your energy perfecting sentences that may totally disappear, move, or change as the story takes on its ultimate shape.
For some situations, manuscript feedback (also called a manuscript critique, manuscript evaluation, or editorial assessment) is a great option. This service includes an editorial letter but no in-text comments.
These services generally happen with a full manuscript that the writer has already revised on their own: in other words, you’ve taken it as far as you can and now want an informed and thoughtful new perspective. But if you are feeling stuck with a partial manuscript or even an outline and synopsis, feel free to be in touch to discuss possibilities.
Because we’re all trying to be kind and get it right, I always query, explain, and propose solutions if I encounter language or storytelling that strikes me as potentially harmful to readers because of connections to ableism, racism, fat phobia, classism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other cultural yuckiness.
A developmental edit draws on:
- expert knowledge of how the elements of fiction work together to impact readers
- deep familiarity with your work’s genre (Romance is the genre I know and love best! I'm also happy to talk about your non-romance project and assess my appropriateness for its particular needs.)
- care for your particular vision and goals
This service includes:
- in-text comments asking questions, making observations, noting patterns and examples, and suggesting possible rewrites
- an editorial letter reporting on what’s working and what may require further attention, touching on all the major components of storytelling generally and of romance specifically, with lots of commentary on and concrete ideas for your specific work (as well as links to resources for further explanation or exploration as appropriate)
- all based on two full readings of the manuscript: one time through to experience the text as a reader, and a second to leave comments and take notes for the editorial letter
Developmental editing does not involve flagging or correcting typos, grammatical missteps, or other sentence-level issues, although I will mention habits and patterns that I see in the text. It should happen before line editing, copyediting, or proofreading, to avoid wasting a bunch of your energy perfecting sentences that may totally disappear, move, or change as the story takes on its ultimate shape.
For some situations, manuscript feedback (also called a manuscript critique, manuscript evaluation, or editorial assessment) is a great option. This service includes an editorial letter but no in-text comments.
These services generally happen with a full manuscript that the writer has already revised on their own: in other words, you’ve taken it as far as you can and now want an informed and thoughtful new perspective. But if you are feeling stuck with a partial manuscript or even an outline and synopsis, feel free to be in touch to discuss possibilities.
Because we’re all trying to be kind and get it right, I always query, explain, and propose solutions if I encounter language or storytelling that strikes me as potentially harmful to readers because of connections to ableism, racism, fat phobia, classism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other cultural yuckiness.
pricing
See my Services Menu for current pricing information.
content
Please note that I do not work on material that involves torture, on-page sexual violence, extensive horror or suspense elements, or sexual content that devalues consent. I am enthusiastic about consent-oriented sexually explicit material, and I particularly welcome writers wishing to hone this part of their craft!
My getting-to-know-you process involves asking about any parts of your story that may be emotionally difficult for readers, so that I can be prepared to give your manuscript the focus and presence it deserves.
My getting-to-know-you process involves asking about any parts of your story that may be emotionally difficult for readers, so that I can be prepared to give your manuscript the focus and presence it deserves.
nuts & bolts
Clients typically send me a Word or Pages file, which I annotate using Comments (while also producing a detailed editorial letter as a separate document).
What's next?
If you think this sounds promising, let’s communicate! The first step in my process is to get to know you and your work and, of course, answer your questions. Then, if we’ve determined it’s a good fit, we’ll sign an agreement and get to work!
