So You've Written A Novel...

You have finished your novel’s first draft. Days or months (or years) of work have culminated at last into a finished work. WHICH IS AWESOME!

    After a short break, you got to work with self-edits. You scoured and revised and scoured again. You found the little plot holes and patched them up. You polished the rough edges and maybe chiseled out a few more and polished those. And now it’s EVEN BETTER

     But what’s next? What happens now?

     Your story has moved past the first draft, and you’ve edited as much as you can before the words start all looking the same (trust me, I know the feeling!). But we’re not done there!

     Because this is where you and I start the adventure!

 

>What IS a Developmental Editor?

    A developmental editor is an editor that looks at the story elements. Unlike a line (or copy editor) or proofreader, who looks for typos and grammar. I look at the big picture pieces. I’ll help you shiny up the plot, identify anything that needs tightening up, and help make your characters and their voices strong, and make sure any character arcs land how you envision them.

     I want to work with you to make sure your story is what you envision it to be. I’ll make sure your voice is at its strongest, and help you untangle any plot snags that have been evasive little stinkers (those can be the most frustrating especially if they’ve been staring you in the face forever!).

     I’ll look at these and other elements, as well as anything else you have concerns about! Because you know your story best, and you know the nooks and crannies that may need more attention than others. You know what you want the story to say.

     I love helping writers with their stories. I love those “aha!” moments in my own writing when I finally figure out a problem, and I love helping and watching my writer friends find those moments in their stories too.

     (because tbh it doesn’t matter what you write, all characters can be little snots and can be difficult out of spite).

     So I want to help you find all of those “aha!” moments for your story. I’ll help you find the puzzle pieces that make everything just click. And then, we’ll celebrate when it works!

     Writing, storytelling, is a powerful tool that we’ve been given. It’s fun, absolutely, but it can also be hard to be a good steward of this medium. Because we don’t want to abuse it and churn out poorly constructed stories that miss their marks. The world has too much of those already, and I want to help you raise your story above the noise and make it stand out and say “this story is worth the read 100%!”

     And sometimes it’s hard because it feels like you’re alone in it.

     But I’m here to tell you you’re NOT alone. We’ll strengthen your story together and make it the best it can be!

 

>Why Do I Need One?

    Self-editing is great, for sure. It’s an important part of the process, and practices your eye for the details and helps you learn more about the writing craft.

     But after you’ve edited your own work for so long, you need a new pair of eyes on your WIP. Someone who isn’t as close to it as you are. Because when you’ve worked so closely with it, sometimes it’s hard to see that maybe your favorite scene or character needs moved around to a point where they’ll be even stronger. Or (gulp), I’ll help you identify which darlings to kill.

     Trust me, that part’s hard too, but with an editor whose outsider eyes can find those points, your novel has room to grow stronger (and maybe we’ll even find a new home for those scenes or characters!).

     And maybe you’ll find the outside eyes in fellow writing friends. If you can find writers who are willing to be 100% honest about what needs work, that’s AWESOME!

     But you can also hire an editor, like me! I’ll walk with you on this step of your journey, and cheer you on when you’re ready to take the next steps!  I’ll work with you and help you build your story into the novel you dream it to be.

 

>How It Goes Down

    So we’ve covered what a developmental editor is, and why you might need one. Now you’ll want to know how this all starts, right?

     First, let’s chat! Tell me about your novel. Tell me your vision for it, and your concerns. Because I want to make sure we cover all the bases, and that includes anything specific you’d like me to keep an eye on.

     If we decide I’m the right girl for the job (yay!), we’ll figure out timelines and payments (check out this page for pricing and more details about this part).

     Once we get those details worked out, I’ll get to work! Once I’m done, I’ll send you two files (if able. Sometimes programs are weird): one with margin notes in the manuscript itself (I will not change anything to the actual story itself, don’t worry!), and a file of general notes and comments.

     I’ll send those files to you, and you can tackle them as you see fit! We can stay in touch, and I’m happy to help you brainstorm ideas, or clarify anything I wasn’t clear on. I want to make sure you have all you need to make your story AMAZING.

     And, of course, we CELEBRATE! I’ll celebrate with you in the small wins as you edit and cheer you on as you continue to take your novel all the way to publication!

 

>The Fine Print

    I specialize in speculative fiction, with a focus on fantasy, but I’m totally down to edit other genres! I love exploring new genres, and that includes exploring them in editing. Hit me up and let’s talk!

     However, there are genres/categories I reserve the right to not work on. It’s just my personal preference. (click here for my editing details page for more info there)

     If you’re not sure if I would be a good fit for your story, hit me up and let’s chat! We might be able to set up a test run. I would love to get to know you and your story.

     My current rate is $0.004/word (the editing page has more details), and my calendar is open for bookings, so grab your slot now!