developmental editing
What is it?
Developmental editing addresses big-picture concerns like argument, structure, and organization. It’s a great tool for shaping and giving coherence to projects as they progress. It can help with:
Purpose (Is your argument carefully defined and clearly foregrounded? Have you convincingly established its stakes?)
Scope (Is your argument a manageable size? Is it actually multiple arguments?)
Focus (Are you developing a clear narrative and giving readers everything they need to follow it?)
Logic (What does your reader need to know about A before you can move on to B?)
Positioning (Are you successfully drawing on empirical and theoretical materials to develop your claims? Are you engaging other scholarship without losing your own authorial voice?)
How does it work?
Developmental editing is usually performed on a complete or nearly complete draft. Authors share their manuscripts with me, and I provide feedback via detailed in-text comments and an editorial letter. The editorial letter is a crucial and unique part of developmental editing—a comprehensive assessment of the manuscript’s strengths and challenges and a summary of my biggest recommendations for improving it.
My feedback is never limited to simply identifying problems or shortcomings in an author’s writing. Rather, my role is to help writers see what’s working and not working in their manuscript and to create a clear and comprehensive revision plan based on this assessment. In short, I’m here to help you move your manuscript forward.
stylistic editing
What is it?
Stylistic editing (also known as line editing) improves your sentences and paragraphs to make your manuscript understandable and persuasive. It can help with:
Clarity (Are your sentences easy to follow?)
Conciseness (Can we prune your writing to meet a required word or page limit? Can we cut any repetition?)
How does it work?
Stylistic editing is usually undertaken on a completed draft for which you’ve already established a clear and logical structure. Authors share their manuscripts with me, and I use Track Changes to make in-text edits. I also provide detailed in-text comments with practical suggestions and explanations.
Writing Support/Coaching
What is it?
Writing support (or writing coaching) sessions are one-hour video calls that provide guidance, structure, and accountability as you work through the writing process. These sessions are designed to help you make sense of any challenges you’re facing and create a plan to address them. We might use a session to brainstorm an outline, work through a particularly complex part of your argument, or develop a strategy for implementing revisions.
How does it work?
Writing support sessions are very flexible and can be helpful at multiple points during the writing, revision, and publication processes. Some authors like to schedule them at regular intervals, while others prefer to book them on an as-needed basis.
Meetings are (optionally) audio-recorded. After each meeting, I provide a brief summary of our discussion via email.
Interested in editing and writing support services? Please get in touch.