Fixes: Organization and structure, pacing, emotion, tension, scene anatomy, character development, and dialogue
Price: Rates Vary
If you've ever participated in a writing workshop, you know how elating it is when someone brainstorms the perfect solution to that obstinate ending. You also know how chilling it can be if they point out an oversight that makes your story's logic crumble to dust.
The good news is that I'm here to do both – identify the problems and come up with solutions.
Also called "substantive editing" or "doctoring," developmental editing looks at the content of your work as a whole. This includes everything from characters and settings to plot points and themes. If something isn't working – or if it could be working even better – a developmental editor (that would be me) looks under the hood to diagnose the issue and offer solutions.
Are you having a tough time identifying your antagonist's motivations? Does your beginning feel exposition-heavy and tedious? Is your dialogue stilted or unbelievable, and do you struggle to explain what your story's actually about? Well then, let's get to work!
These same principles apply to all sorts of writing – not just storytelling. A developmental edit can turn another paint-by-numbers presentation into a gripping and memorable event. It can make press releases stand out and funding requests tug heartstrings. But it's not about adding sizzle just yet; it's about rethinking what you're trying to communicate and finding the best way to structure it for maximum impact.
In the developmental editing phase, I don't do any direct rewriting. Instead, I read your work cover-to-cover (several times, usually) and put together a comprehensive critique and action plan. After you review my notes, we connect however you prefer (email/phone/Skype) and hash it out until you're confident enough to start revising. Once that's done, we move on to the Line Editing and Copy Editing/Proofreading phases.
Developmental editing is a tricky beast, and I usually need more information about what I'm working with before I can give you a price quote. Please reach out to me with a description of what you've been working on and we'll find a time to schedule a lengthier discussion.
If you think your content is already up to snuff, why not check out my Line Editing and Copy Editing/Proofreading services?
If you want to put me to the test, let me do a free sample edit.