Bookish by Nature, LLC

Order of Play

Typing “The End” begins the editing process. Editing your manuscript in the right order is essential if you want your book to be in the best shape possible. This logical order of play comprises of four steps.

1. Manuscript Evaluation or Developmental Edit : stylistic edit
2. Line Edit : this is the stylistic line by line edit
3. Copyediting : this is the technical line by line edit (which I do not offer)
4. Proofreading : technical edit for grammar, spelling, etc. (which I do not offer)

Swap the order around and you’ll wind up in a pickle. At best, you’ll waste time; at worst you’ll waste money.

Manuscript Evaluation (ME)

These evaluations are also known as Developmental Critiques. Perhaps you would like a professional developmental eye on the story before you move forward, but don’t need a full developmental edit. With an evaluation, you’ll still get a thorough overall analysis of your story. You’ll receive the editorial letter with feedback covering strengths and weaknesses and suggestions to improve the manuscript, but without the extended commentary or changes to the book file on the manuscript that comes with a full developmental edit.

An ME can be an affordable first step to help pinpoint problem areas and assess whether a full development edit is needed or with some tweaking the manuscript is ready for line editing.

Developmental Editing (DE)

Also known as structural editing or story editing. A developmental editor might not be your first reader, but I will be your first professional reader. Developmental editing should happen after the 1st or 2nd draft of a manuscript. DE’s are all about the big picture. I read with a critical eye for story structure as well as screening for plot holes, clarity, missed opportunities, and more. I’ll offer revision suggestions to improve the story. I’ll assess how the manuscript hangs together as a whole, how a story moves and unfurls, how characters drive the story forward. This is the shaping stage where decisions are made that affect how the entire manuscript works.

Developmental edits are done by utilizing the comments feature of Microsoft Word and/or inline comments and highlights. Clients will also receive an editorial letter that covers the issues and successes noted below. Please be aware, you will not receive line edits, nor will any grammatical or style issues be addressed. But don’t worry! I also offer line editing and can refer clients to some great editors who offer copyediting and proofreading services. You can get a ME or DE and LE package or pick and choose based on your editing needs.

Things I look for.

1. Plot & Scenes. These include the foundational steps of a story where checks to plot structure, conflict, struggles, credibility / realism of the story, and effectiveness of the opening hook. Do any scenes need to be strengthened or adjusted? Are POV swaps smooth? Would it help to add a scene?
2. Characterization & Character Arcs. Characters are the lifeblood of any fiction story and where readers connect emotionally to the story.
   • Protagonist(s): I’ll check character arcs for the hero or heroine i.e. main character(s). Are they fully fleshed out? Will readers be able to sympathize with them?
   • Secondary Characters: Are you secondary characters fleshed out? Are they useful to the journey of your MC? Do they have their own voice / style and are they relatable without overshadowing the heroine / hero.
   • Antagonist/Villain: Is your villain, or antagonist, and their main goal(s) fleshed out? Are those goals realistic and pit themselves against your MC? Is this opposition believable?
3. Dialogue. Is the dialogue natural, realistic, and believable? Do characters have their own distinct voice?
4. Pace & Readability. I’ll check story flow, background, are their info dumps, high points. The speed at which the story unfolds. Effective pace ensures readers feel neither rushed or bored. This does not mean the pace should remain the same throughout. A story can include sections of fast-paced action beats and slower cool-down moments.
5. Point of View. I check consistency of whose perspective readers experience. Every chapter or section should have a clear narrator the reader can tap into, who’s eyes they’re seeing through, whose emotions they have access to, who’s voice dominates the narrative.
6. Narrative Style. I check for viewpoint consistently to ensure it is conveyed in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person and have a firm understanding of the restrictions of each narrative style checking to ensure these limitations are maintained.
7. Descriptions. Are descriptions hitting that point of being just right–not overwhelming the reader or dragging down the pace, yet still vividly portraying the world and characters?
8. World Building & Active Setting. I check for accuracy in location, setting, supporting characters, rules of the world, making sure they’re both established and obeyed. As well as assess if these elements are believable to the reader.
9. Emotions. Are the characters’ emotions on the page? Are their responses to situations consistent with their personality?
10. Genre & Reader Expectations. I’ll assess if the authors intended genres meet the genre specifics and reader expectations.

These edits maintain consistency and readability for the manuscript as a whole. Developmental editing is for the new and experienced author that:

1. Thinks they’ve done all they can do but feel they need an extra set of objective eyes. DE’s are that extra set of professional eyes.
2. When an author wants to try something new. DE’s are experts at problem-solving a manuscript.
3. When you’re stuck! DE’s help you get through those stuck moments.
4. When authors want to ensure the skeleton supporting their story is strong. DE’s can be with you from the beginning. They are the authors professional collaborator.

Developmental editing is where your story is tested and revised so that readers want to turn the page. If a manuscript lacks focus, DEs will help the writer find it. If an author lacks confidence, the best DEs inspire, challenge, and cheer on the author. And above all, DEs are the author’s collaborator—they hone the writer’s unique voice and help shine a light on the shadowy parts of an author’s manuscript.

Line Editing (LE)

This is the next step in the revision process. It’s stylistic work and LE’s focus on line-by-line and paragraph-by-paragraph editing because strong sentences elevate the story and weaker ones can bury it. Line editing is an important next step a fiction manuscript undergoes before publishing. It is the bridge between developmental editing and copyediting that connects the grand architecture of storytelling with the intricate details of language mechanics, offering writers a holistic approach to enhancing their most important feature: their voice.

1. Authenticity. I’ll check and clarify phrasing, word choice, author intention and meaning.
2. Showing vs Telling & Sentence Structure. I’ll flag areas where you can make the narrative stronger and draw your readers into the story rather than spectators in the story. Adjustment suggestions to sentence length or reordering them to ensure balance and verity.
3. Consistency & Clarity. I will check for consistency and clarity with characters, placement of people and props, etc. Never make the reader work to understand what’s taking place or who’s talking.
4. Narration. There’s nothing wrong with adjectives or adverbs but sometimes less is more. The narration can get bogged down with multiple weak modifiers when one or two stronger words would really shine. I check clarity and consistency of view point, narrative style, overuse of passive voice, adjectives, and adverbs.
5. Echoes of Word and Phrase. This can apply to word repetition within a short amount of space, a character’s obsession with an object in a scene, or a reiterated concept throughout the manuscript.
6. Engagement. I check for cliché and awkward metaphors to make sure the writing is engaging.
7. Dialogue. This is probably one of the biggest things that can set a book apart. Dialogue defines your characters, moves the plot forward, and is what makes your readers identify with the story. The goal is for dialogue to sound organic, natural, effortless. Not stilted or forced. Readers want to focus on what’s being said through effortless flow of conversation, not struggle to keep up or racing to figure out who’s speaking. I check how the dialogue conveys mood, voice, intention, and the effective use of dialogue vs action tags.
8. Basic Fact-checking. I do not do in-depth fact-checking. I’m not going to look up what the temperature was on a particular day in Phoenix, Arizona in 1923. However, I will check spelling of brands, spelling of businesses, street names, etc. I will also double-check statements that set off my Spidey Sense, and I feel it needs further investigation.
9. Tense & Sequence of Action. Sometimes characters will perform actions out of order or out of tense. It’s important to lay actions out logically so the reader doesn’t have to struggle to track the action. Here is where I do checks to verify if they’re effective and consistent.
10. Chapter and Scene Breaks. You always want to end scenes and chapters on a note that is emotionally satisfying or with a “mini-cliffhanger” to keep the reader engaged, wanting to stay up, and say just one more chapter.

Line Editing provides revisions and suggested revision that will improve the line work. The Line Editing stage is not the place to fix plot, structure, overall pace, and view point. It’s also not for technical editing. That’s developmental and copyediting work. It is also highly recommended to complete Manuscript Evaluation or Developmental Edit revisions first before sending your manuscripts for line editing.

These two edits are important to a manuscript and need their own space. The revisions made in a developmental edit will significantly change the manuscript, and most line edits done before the developmental revisions will change so much, an additional line edit would be necessary. So it makes sense and is more cost effective if writers complete revision of one editing type before their manuscript is ready for the next editing stage.