Developmental
Editing.
For writers who need to strengthen the story itself, not just the words on the page.
Developmental editing looks at the manuscript as a whole to identify what is working, what is holding the story back, and what needs to change for the story to reach its full potential.
Maybe your characters feel flat or unrealistic. The pacing moves too quickly or drags. Your worldbuilding feels inconsistent. The middle loses momentum. Or the ending simply isn't landing the way you intended.
The goal is to get beneath those symptoms and understand what is actually causing them so you know what needs to change and why.
I look for the underlying problem, not just the symptom. Instead of simply flagging a weak character, slow section, or ineffective ending, I examine why it is happening and what needs to change.
My experience across fiction and screenwriting lets me draw from both mediums when evaluating structure, pacing, character, dialogue, scene impact, and audience connection.
I look at how the pieces affect one another. Character shapes pacing. Structure shapes emotion. Relationships create stakes. Dialogue reveals character. The story is treated as a whole, not a collection of isolated problems.
How much support does your story need?
Start with one complete developmental pass, or continue through additional rounds as you revise and refine the story.
One-Pass Developmental Edit
CoreOne complete developmental editing pass followed by an editorial consultation.
Two-Pass Developmental Edit
The initial developmental edit and consultation, followed by a second developmental pass after you have completed your revisions.
Three-Pass Developmental Edit
The initial developmental edit and consultation, followed by two additional developmental passes as you revise and refine the manuscript.
Each additional pass gives us the opportunity to evaluate how your revisions have affected the manuscript, identify what still needs attention, and continue strengthening the story.
Every engagement is crafted by hand, by one editor, for your story alone.
No templates. No recycled notes. No AI.
What the edit
may address.
The developmental edit examines your manuscript through the lens of your goals, focusing on the elements that shape the story as a whole. Not every element will require the same depth of work, but every element is examined.
Your feedback will be delivered in the format that best serves your project: an editorial letter, comments and edits within the manuscript, or both. When an editorial letter is included, it will generally range from 10–30 pages, depending on the manuscript and scope of the project.
The
process.
A complete service from inquiry through revision. Seven steps, one purpose: to understand your story, identify what it needs, and give you the solutions to make it stronger.
Tell Me About Your Project
Start by submitting an inquiry with your manuscript word count and approximate page count, genre, a 1–5 sentence summary of the book, and the developmental challenges or concerns you are currently experiencing. This gives me an initial understanding of both the manuscript and where you feel it needs the most support.
Initial Consultation
We will meet to talk through the project in greater depth. We will discuss your vision for the story, your goals, the challenges you are encountering, and what you feel the manuscript needs in order to move forward. This also gives us the opportunity to determine the scope of the edit and make sure we are a good fit to work together.
Manuscript & Supporting Materials
Once we establish the scope and goals of the project, you will send your manuscript. You can also provide any outlines, character documents, story plans, or other materials that help communicate your vision for the book. An NDA will be signed before I begin working on your manuscript.
Developmental Edit
I will read and assess the manuscript through the lens of your goals, focusing on the elements that shape the story as a whole. The edit may address story structure, plot, character development, pacing, dialogue, scene function, theme, worldbuilding, and other big-picture storytelling concerns. Your feedback will be delivered in the format that best serves your project: an editorial letter, comments and edits within the manuscript, or both. When an editorial letter is included, it will generally range from 10–30 pages, depending on the manuscript and scope of the project.
Review Your Edit
Once the developmental edit is complete, you will receive your feedback and have time to review it, process the recommendations, and begin thinking through your revisions.
Editorial Consultation
We will meet to discuss the edit together. This gives you the opportunity to ask questions, talk through the larger recommendations, clarify anything that may be unclear, and make sure you understand the reasoning behind the feedback before you begin revising.
Revise & Implement
You will take the editorial feedback and use it to revise the manuscript in the direction that best serves your story and your vision.
The process is collaborative. After the developmental edit is delivered, we discuss the findings together before you begin revising — so the solutions serve your vision, not someone else’s story.
Choose your
editing depth.
Each additional pass gives us the opportunity to evaluate how the revisions have affected the manuscript and identify what still needs attention. Choose the level of support that fits where your story is right now.
One-Pass Developmental Edit
One complete developmental editing pass followed by an editorial consultation.
Two-Pass Developmental Edit
The initial developmental edit and consultation, followed by a second developmental pass after you have completed your revisions.
Three-Pass Developmental Edit
The initial developmental edit and consultation, followed by two additional developmental passes as you revise and refine the manuscript.
Every engagement is crafted by hand, by one editor, for your story alone. No templates. No recycled notes. No AI.
Submit Your ManuscriptCommon
questions.
Still have questions? Reach out directly — you will hear back, personally, within one business day.
Ask a QuestionDevelopmental editing examines the big picture — structure, character arcs, plot logic, pacing, and theme. It asks: is this story built correctly? Line editing works at the sentence and paragraph level — prose craft, rhythm, word choice, voice. Developmental editing comes first; line editing comes after the structure is sound. Polishing sentences on a broken foundation is wasted work.
Ready to build
a stronger story?
Submit your manuscript for a developmental edit, or reach out to discuss whether this is the right service for where your story is right now. You will hear back, personally, within one business day. No chatbots. No junior pass-off.
Story Consultant and Editor · Human-Only · © 2026