Writing Things I'm Learning the Hard Way #9: Developmental Editing
If you want to skip to what I've learned about Dev Editing so far skip to the next bolded section
As someone who is very broke, I cannot afford to hire a developmental editor. I would LOVE to, don't get me wrong, and I feel as though my book would be better for it. However, this is one of those things that I simply cannot afford, and this is something that is a little out of my control.
Though if I sat back and wanted to save for it, I could. But that would take a very, very long time. I do not make that much money, and it would probably be a year or MORE before I could get that editor for the first book, let alone the rest of the series. And this book feels like it has to come out sooner rather than later.
I don't know why.
And maybe, looking back, there will be a WTILTHW post about how I should've hired a dev editor for this book series. But how can I know unless I try? I want to be able to do this one day. And, who knows? I might be able to do this for other authors on the side one day just because I chose to start with my book right now.
I won't know unless I try.
Anyway, without further ado, this is what I've learned so far about Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing (I'll call it Dev Editing for short) is very different than most type of editing. In other forms of editing, you are looking at the words in front of you; "Does this sentence make sense?" "Is my grammar correct?" "Is this paragraph too long, short, or confusing?" "Any spelling mistakes?"
However, with Dev editing, you are looking past the words, and at the Big Picture of the story. Are the characters consistent and believable? Do they change throughout the story or change the story itself? Is the world developed well, or is it just a space for the plot to exist in? Does the story keep a steady pace, or is it weird?
So, while other editors are looking at your words, the Dev is looking at your story. They are not concerned about the way things are spelled or how a sentence reads (though, as a common courtesy, you should at least hit "spellcheck" before sending it to an editor).
So, I've learned about the different aspects of a story, and broke it down into a few pieces.
Characters and Arcs
Plot, Plot Holes, and Subplots
Pacing and Tension
Themes and Tropes
World and History
Story
This way, I can go over each individual piece, one at a time, so I can focus entirely on each part to make it the best it can be.
Part of this, too, is asking the right questions. Don't be scared to admit your stuff needs work. It's part of making it better.
For example, the question "Does this align with Julie's belief that cats are better than dogs?" is a much better question than "Does this make sense?" One question is getting into the specifics about Julie's beliefs, allowing for story and character development with either the yes or the no. However, the second question isn't anywhere near as specific, allowing the answer to be anything. You could say yes, reason with it, and move on with your revisions without ever working with what truly needs to be worked on.
I am aware I am not a professional, and probably never will be (so any tips or tricks is greatly appreciated). But learning to do this is allowing me to expand my horizons and even allow my drafts to be better the first time around, and need less work later.
All in all, life is hard, and I am tired. But this work will be very satisfying when it is finished.
