In a developmental edit, I look at the big-picture issues of plot, pacing, tone, and character development. I may try to pull out themes and see how they are followed throughout the story. I identify story threads and see how they are woven through and whether they are brought to a satisfactory conclusion or are just left hanging. Many of the questions I address are same ones I answer when beta reading, but I also work within the document by making some changes and/or suggestions as comments. In addition, I’ll put together a three- to five-page report that covers the more general observations and suggestions. 

My triple-pass method goes as such: The first read-through is pretty quick, just to get familiar with the story, the characters, the author’s voice, and the tone and take mental notes on anything that jumps out at me. The second read-through is the time to slow down and pay close attention to the details. I consider how the plot points are lined up, how the pacing and tension goes, how the characters are developed, and how it all works together. I flag the things I want to come back to and start making comments in the document. In the third read-through, I finalize my comments and suggestions to make sure they’re constructive and clear and then finish up with the separate report detailing what works and what might need some tweaking.

Test drives are welcome! Before we commit to a full project together, I’m happy to do a sample developmental edit of up to ten pages or 3,000 words from the manuscript for $50.