As a teacher of developmental editing, I want students to get comfortable with being able to advise big solutions to big problems. Often this is the best way to truly help an author produce superior work. It is also an invaluable method for stepping back to see the big picture (a poorly constructed conflict, for… Read more Consider the Client (Working with Publishers)
Many self-publishing authors look for beta readers to give them perspective on their novels before they go to a professional editor for further help. An author doesn’t need a developmental editor to say the whole storyline is implausible and they yawned from beginning to end. Any reader of fiction can probably relay that information. Doing… Read more Beta reading as training for DE
Finding clients as a newer editor is a challenge. Where do you start? I suggest you begin by asking yourself a few questions. Decide Who You Are as an Editor What is your purpose? Mine is to help women find a way to tell their stories. What kinds of clients does your purpose suggest you… Read more Building Your Editing Business
Club Ed readers have overwhelmingly asked for more instructor-led classes, so 2021 will include a whole bunch of offerings. The catalog through May 2021 has been added here and you can also see it below. Instructor-led classes for new and aspiring developmental editors Instructor-led classes are held within a specified time period. They feature weekly… Read more 2021 Course Catalog Has Arrived!
NEW! Starts January 4, 2021 $50 4 weeks (through January 31), instructor-led This class is intended for editors, new and experienced, who are interested in following along as an experienced editor performs a developmental edit on a complete fiction manuscript. It is a reading-intensive class and the more you participate in the online discussions, the… Read more New! Naked Editing class starts January 4, 2021
A while back I took a class on the algebra of symmetries and it turned out to be taught by a philosopher masquerading as a mathematics professor. Algebra, he told us, comes from the word al-jabr, which means restoration by balancing. “Restoring the unknown,” the teacher said. That is what algebra is. I like to… Read more Solving for X
The Pareto Principle, also called the 80/20 rule, is a ratio used to describe certain economic and business situations, such as 20 percent of the people have 80 percent of the wealth, or 80 percent of your revenue comes from 20 percent of your customers. If you just knew which 20 percent of your customers… Read more Using the Pareto Principle as a freelancer
For problems that recur throughout a series of paragraphs, a scene, a chapter, or an entire ms, developmental editors will sometimes use a shortcut: “You do a lot of info-dumping throughout; I recommend cutting it back.” The problem with this approach is that if the author could identify where the info-dumping is occurring, they wouldn’t… Read more Using global queries for recurring developmental problems
Coaching writers is distinct from developmental editing, but because of the nature of DE work, it’s common for it to shade into coaching (and, indeed, into mentoring). Many DEs fall into coaching because their clients ask for it while others want to move into the field more intentionally. Here are my thoughts about offering coaching… Read more Adding Coaching to Your Menu of Services
As Club Ed adds new classes, I’m frequently asked, “What class should I take?” or “What class should I take next?” so I wanted to provide some answers. These are my recommendations for the new instructor-led classes (self-paced classes are organized by skill level on the Club Ed site): For Anyone For anyone interested in… Read more Which Class Should I Take?
