What developmental editing considers:
· Considering if the plot make sense, and if there are any plot holes.
· Determining if the organization of the book works. If the story is told in strict chronological order, the main character shouldn’t tell the reader on the first page that he wins the lottery in chapter 30.
· Consider the pacing of the story. If too much exposition is given too early, readers may find the book too much of a slog and give up. Likewise, if everything is happening at once, the reader may be confused and miss important plot developments.
· Dialogue (generally this only applies for fictional works). Do the characters speak the way people with their life experiences and upbringing would talk? Does a character speak with an inconsistent accent? Do two or more characters sound too similar?
· Inspecting the motivations of protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). Do the major characters in your story have believable and understandable motivations? Do the actions of the main character mesh with the inner thoughts and dialogue of that character?
· Lack of descriptions can make it hard for readers to picture scenes. I will point these areas out and give suggestions for building the world of your story.
· I will write an average of two comments per page. Some pages may have fewer than two comments while others will have more than two.
· After finishing my developmental edit, I will write you a revision letter that sums up my overall views of the manuscript. This letter will be two to four pages long and include my recommendations for improving areas of the manuscript while also highlighting what I enjoyed.
What developmental editing doesn’t do:
· Fix errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. If something catches my eye, I will point it out, but I will be reading your book to determine how the story could be strengthened instead of proofreading the text.
· Rewrite areas. If there is a paragraph where the narration suddenly goes from first person to third person, I will point this out but I won’t rewrite it.
· Guarantee that a big publisher will offer you a $100,000 advance. I wish I could promise this, but I can’t.