Developmental editing for fiction focuses on the big picture and strives to pinpoint narrative pitfalls while preserving the author’s voice and vision. For this type of edit, I examine elements such as

  • characterization
  • plot
  • setting
  • dialogue
  • theme
  • pacing
  • conflict
  • tension
  • voice
  • point of view

A developmental edit takes place after you have completed your manuscript but are still working through revisions. A developmental edit may involve the author rewriting or deleting sections or even writing new material, which is why a “big picture” edit precedes any copyediting.

Both developmental editing and copyediting are completed within the manuscript using the “Track Changes” and “Comments” features in Microsoft Word.