If you’re considering a developmental edit from an indie editor, you probably already know it’s a decent financial investment in your story. What’s hard to convey is the reason why. You know you’ll be receiving the most in-depth editorial suggestions on the market, but what exactly does that mean?
It’s good for you to know not just what you’ll receive but also what goes into that final product. For me, that usually means at least 80 hours of work in five parts. Here’s how:
Step One: Developing Gut Instincts
Basically, my first step when beginning a developmental edit is to do a beta read on the book, which I consider qualitative research on the book itself. This is why I frequently suggest to authors I’m working with for the first time who are interested in a developmental edit that we start with a beta read. It gives us a chance to get to know each other’s intentions for the story and make sure we’re a good fit for one another without investing a ton of time and money.
When I do a formal beta read, I have a standard list of questions that I answer for every book that crosses my desk and allow authors to submit three additional ones to tailor to their needs. While I may not actually fill out my beta reading questionnaire at the beginning of a developmental edit, I do take notes the same way as I would for a beta read and take the time to consider each of the questions and my gut feelings before moving on to the next step.
Step Two: A Breakdown Your Authorial Voice
After I’m done getting my gut feelings as a reader down on paper where I won’t forget them, my next prerogative is to take your book and extract the data from each scene to find patterns built into your authorial voice. Basically, I make a giant list of every scene in the book and write down some key pieces of information like the word count, point of view, setting, what changed, who was present, etc, which is why I consider this step the quantitative research on your book. If you want an in-depth view of this process, the closest equivalent I’ve found is outlined in The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne.
What this step does is take movements in your story and make them more objective. It also highlights patterns: good and bad. If you have a section of your book that’s slow and hard for a reader to get through, it will show up in word counts and scene shifts. If one of our POV characters is missing a beginning, middle, or end, they’ll have large gaps in their timeline. If you’ve got a section that is doing a great job keeping readers moving and meeting your story’s needs, that will be clear as well. These pieces of data don’t automatically become editorial direction, but they show opportunities and weaknesses in the text as it is written by comparing your words to their own context.
Step Three: Genre and Industry Research
So, obviously the tools used and the process for this step varies greatly from genre to genre. But generally speaking, by this point I’ve got a good sense of my own feelings and some set-in-stone facts about my authors’ stories. Now, it’s time to think bigger picture. What is their genre doing right now? What are reader expectations for this kind of story? Is the story expected enough; is it surprising enough?
I keep a list of expectations and obligatory scenes for each of the genres I typically work with, but I always check out the latest when a new developmental edit crosses my desk to ensure I’m aware of the latest genre trends as well. Then I compare my list to the scenes in the story I’m working on to see if there are any red flags. While not every expectation should be met, each deviation should have a purpose. Oftentimes, missing obligatory scenes are great inspiration for missing pieces in character arcs that align well when put together and fill out the narrative in unexpected ways.
Step Four: Rebuilding the Plot Arc
Once I have my research completed for the book at hand and the genre in which it will be pitched, I have everything I need to begin writing recommendations for editorial direction. I personally start this process by looking at plot arcs because filling holes and making moves on a plot arc touches every aspect of a narrative from character development to setting to pacing and beyond. It’s a great place to get everything aligned.
If I’m working with a multiple POV narrative, I’ll pull each of them apart from each other and ensure they’re solidly built before finding a way to interweave them thoughtfully again. And even in single POV stories, I’m yet to find one that doesn’t have an aspect deserving of individual attention and being tested for strength on its own before rehoming it. Usually, this looks like decoupling a primary and subplot to ensure they have a beginning, middle, and end independent of each other.
I’m yet to find a story where there are no gaps that deserve being filled or scenes that have doubled up to do the same job. These discoveries lead to a list of scene suggestions with movement, cuts, combinations, and additions, which I then also note in the manuscript itself with tracked changes to aid in the editing process for the author.
Step Five: Disclosure and Strategy Building
This is the step in which I bring together all of the other aspects of the story to give authors direction on edits that need made and the reasoning behind them. In many ways, it is a summary of everything I have learned during research paired with strategies and exercises to give the author tools to improve their narrative.
All of these suggestions are personalized based upon the strengths and weaknesses found during the research phase. And though they are the last thing I write, it’s often the place I recommend my authors begin when reviewing their developmental edit. This section gives the reasoning for the suggested changes as well as approaches for how to implement edits. Having this information prepares authors to make the suggested changes in a way that mitigates overwhelm even in the case of a major overhaul.
So that’s a look at my editing process when I’m helping an author with a big-picture restructure on their story. For me, this process helps ensure that I’m keeping my feelings as a reader, the intentions of the author, and the expectations of the industry in balance to build the best version of their story possible. Does this sound like something you’d like for your story? If so, here’s where you can reach out to get started. But some of these things are something you can implement yourself. And if you’re just wanting a little guidance on it, working with a book coach can be a great option too.
Comments