Developmental Editing

Does your book have a catchy opening line that echoes the theme? Does page one offer a hint of the core conflict or your book's forthcoming premise? Does your chapter one have a hook? Have you identified and delivered the inciting incident? What is your main character's Point of No Return moment?

I'll make sure your book is hitting all the right plot beats for your story's genre and intended audience.

A developmental manuscript edit addresses your book's big picture changes in the following storytelling elements: plot and plot structure, setting and atmosphere, character arcs, pace, theme, mood & tone, voice, style, word choice, sentence structure, scenes/sequels/chapters, continuity, cohesion, paralleling/mirroring the opening/ending, plotholes and/or timeline inconsistencies, dialogue, foreshadowing, + more.

The developmental edit doesn't only point out what's wrong with your manuscript; it celebrates what you, the writer, are doing exactly right! Together, we will use your creative strengths to bring out what you already do best, and my editing skills to swirl any ideas or concepts that aren't quite fitting into a place that works exactly right for your book.

I'll use Microsoft Word or Google Docs track changes and in-line margin commentary feature to apply notes, tips, tricks, suggestions, questions, and edits to your manuscript so you may see which parts of your novel can benefit from the developmental edits. You will have the opportunity to review and accept/reject changes. Once, and then once more. Then, I will fully clean up your manuscript copy, deleting any marks, in-line comments, or track changes/insertions, and return your manuscript to you, markup free.

This editing package includes two rounds of edits and an in-depth editorial letter which gives a detailed analysis of all suggested changes along with cheerleader-like encouragement to pep you forward into your revisions!

This editing service does not include copy or line edits, but I may make quick, on-the-fly line or copy edit changes/suggestions as I see necessary.

*Pandemic pricing available for books with word counts over 25,000*