Creating a cohesive developmental edit
The goal of every editor should be that of providing a cohesive developmental edit for a manuscript.
A lot of the skill in developmental editing is just keeping your mouth shut. Not every single thing you notice needs to be commented upon. It doesn’t make the author’s revision go more effectively when you’re nitpicking about a hundred unrelated problems.
Pick a few problems that, if addressed, would make a significant difference to the ms and focus on those. Even better if you can shape those into a coherent, cohesive overall edit.
For example, maybe the plotting feels implausible, maybe the protagonist’s character arc is flat, maybe you have trouble feeling immersed in the story world, maybe you don’t really get a sense of who the protagonist is at all.
Cohesive developmental edit example
These are different problems that could be addressed in the DE, but imagine if you could link them together: these are all problems that ultimately relate to how the protagonist is drawn.
*If the protagonist is not driving story events and acting and reacting to what happens, then the plotting will feel implausible because the author is just shoving the protagonist around the plot like a chess piece.
*If the character arc is flat, we’re not as invested in the protagonist.
*If the protagonist is the viewpoint character and we’re not experiencing the story world through their perspective, we’re going to have trouble feeling immersed in the story world.
*And, finally, if the author hasn’t drawn the protagonist clearly, we’re not going to get a sense of who they are at all.
The positive spin on a cohesive developmental edit
Imagine the author receiving a cohesive edit that says, “the main thing to address is the protagonist.” And then supplies recommendations.
Versus an edit that says, “There are problems with the plotting, there are problems with the character development, there are problems with the setting.”
One feels a lot more overwhelming than the other, but both address the same issues.
Other Helpful Content
-
Editor Spotlight – Elyse Lyon
I’ve been asking a few newer editors to share their tips about creating successful editing businesses. This week, Elyse Lyon responded with her thoughts. – Jennifer Lawler My background is in creative writing/literary fiction and EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching. That background has absolutely helped me in understanding clients and providing services that…
-
Editing Basics
An editor is someone who takes written works (called “manuscripts” before publication) and helps to shape them so that they better serve the reader and, not incidentally, the author. Typically the editorial process involves the editor receiving the manuscript, marking it up with edits and suggestions (called editorial queries), and returning it to the author…
-
Maintaining Marketing Momentum
One of the big challenges in starting and maintaining a freelance editing business is the need to continue pushing forward even when you’re not getting a lot of results. This means marketing when you don’t really feel like it and pushing through self-doubt to keep going, even when you’re not yet seeing much a return…
