What Does A Developmental Editor Do?
Welcome to my blog! Here is where I’m going to explore some of the different facets of my work, explain some publishing jargon and processes, and just share about books! And probably also some fun baking stories!
I’m going to start with what a developmental editor is and what they do. As some of you may have seen on my Instagram earlier this year, developmental editing focuses on the big picture ideas - character arcs, plot development, world building and more. But what does that look like? And how does it work?
When I am starting a developmental edit of something (usually a book), I begin by outlining my major topics:
Plot
Characters
Voice
Setting
Pace/Tension
Genre
As I read the book, I make notes, usually on paper but also sometimes in my head, about all of these things. Then when I finish the book, I expand my notes even more, especially now that I know the whole story. This gives me the ability to see how all these things develop throughout the manuscript. From here, I begin to analyze what works, what doesn’t work, and what could work better.
I’m going to use Rebecca Yarros’ book Fourth Wing for some examples here (MINOR SPOILERS!) Also fair warning, I have mixed feelings about this series from an editorial perspective. It has some amazing strengths but I find there are weaknesses as well.
When I’m looking at character development, I look at Violet and see that she begins as someone who is not very good at standing up for herself. And yet, she is well aware of her own weaknesses and has a strong desire to prove herself. By the end of the book, she has grown into her strength of character and knows what she believes is right and wrong. So while she does grow and change, as all good characters do, it is in line with who she was at the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, the end of the book does pose a bit of a problem for Violet as she struggles to find her strength in the midst of betrayal. As readers we have to wait for the story to continue in the hopes that Violet finds her footing again, and therefore remains a solid character.
This series is also a great place to examine the setting of a story. Every story has world building, but in fantasy it is often more creative. Every world has to have a set of rules. For contemporary fiction, those are things readers are often aware of: gravity means things fall, people can’t fly, etc. But in fantasy, all those things can change! In the world Violet inhabits, different rules exist. Dragons are real, people live with magical signets, and much more. So when I examine the book, I want to see the rules and how they work. Rebecca Yarros has a tendency to change the rules of her world (i.e. some people having more than one signet). While she may have a bigger plan for this in the long run, as readers we can sometimes find ourselves confused about how the world works. More is revealed about the signets in the second and third books so there must be a master rule about them in Yarros’ head somewhere!
Fourth Wing was so fun to read - it took me less than two days! So I am in no way saying that Yarros is a bad writer or that the book is bad. As an editor (and an overthinker), I like to look closely at a book and see what I can discover. But then there are also times when I’m so enthralled in a book that the editing side of my brain disappears!
When I asked what Ellie and Fourth Wing have in common, the answer is that Ellie reminds me a lot of Violet - she’s caring and fun to spend time with, but she also doesn’t mess around when she knows what she wants. You will always know when it is dinner time!
Although developmental editing focuses on big topics, it’s the details of those big topics that I focus on that provides the opportunity to improve the work as a whole. How does everything come together? How does it flow? Do I understand what is happening? Does it make sense? Is it well developed?
