Developmental Editing
What is a Developmental Edit (DE)?
Commonly referred to as a DE or Dev Edits, a Developmental Edit is a detailed story review.
Story or content reviews assess the overall plot and evaluate whether plot points blend together, feel plausible, increase tension, and whether a plot map is intact, etc. They also look at general characterization, pacing, tone, and reader engagement as well as genre suitability.
A Developmental Edit is an in-depth story analysis, frequently drilling down to a scene-by-scene level.
"In Depth"
I'm looking at the story as a whole, and will evaluate all the way down to individual scenes, where necessary.
Feedback is provided in both a technical evaluation and a story-specific evaluation. My remarks focus on the question, "Is this story working?" and if not, where can it be adjusted to make the story flow for optimum reader engagement.
All feedback comes from a "teaching angle" with examples from your manuscript.
The key to remember with a developmental edit is that this is a thorough, detailed evaluation that looks not only at the overall picture, but the chapter linkage and can even go to scene review when it's needed.
"The devil is in the details."
Dev Edit vs. EA
An EA is often much less in-depth than a developmental edit. Dev Edits are the heart and soul of an editorial relationship. They will often go to the scene level, sometimes line level, and will include more specific feedback. Instead of "This character is not consistent in terms of her conflict" the feedback might be more like "This character conflict would be more consistent if you move this forward and push this to another section."
Comments in the manuscript are much more frequent than with an EA, and less generalized. The accompanying editorial letter is often more detailed, contains specific actionable items, and focuses less on craft, compared to the letter received with an EA.
Who Needs Dev Edits?
Generally, developmental editing best serves the author who is confident with the general craft methods of storytelling. If you know the difference between telling vs. showing, or you're aware of GMC, or what constitutes passive writing, proper paragraphing, and proper dialogue construction, then you're probably ready for a developmental edit.
Any author can request a developmental edit. But if craft is still something being learned, the developmental letter will include a significant discussion on technical aspects. If you're not certain? No biggie! A sample review will usually help you get started.
