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 writing 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?)
Content (Are you successfully drawing on empirical and theoretical materials to develop your claims?)
Logic (Are you developing a clear narrative and giving readers everything they need to follow it?)
Positioning (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 detailed feedback via 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 identifying the problems or shortcomings in an author’s writing. Rather, my job 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. I’m here to help you move your manuscript forward.
“I thought that working with an editor would involve someone telling me to change things based on their perspective, but Karen's editing support somehow helped me to see what I wanted to say with more clarity.”
“ I came to [Karen] with a large task that felt overwhelming, and she quickly showed me how to tackle it in smaller steps that would mitigate some of the stress and move me towards my goal. I could not recommend Karen's services enough.”
stylistic/Line editing
What is it?
Stylistic editing (also known as line editing) addresses your writing at the sentence level. The goal of this kind of editing is to make your manuscript understandable and effective. It can help with:
Clarity (Can your reader easily grasp your meaning and follow your claims in each sentence?)
Conciseness (Can we prune your writing and meet a required word/page limit?)
How does it work?
Stylistic editing is usually undertaken on a completed draft for which you’ve already established a clear and logical structure. I use Track Changes to make in-text edits on the manuscript and provide detailed in-text comments with practical suggestions and explanations.
“Karen's support has helped me find the best in my own writing and ideas. Without her services, I'd be nowhere near as productive nor would I have reclaimed the sense of joy I have around writing.”
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.
After each meeting, I provide a brief summary of our discussion via email. Meetings are also optionally audio-recorded.
“I highly recommend combining developmental editing with writing support sessions. The sessions keep you accountable and moving, and they’re also an incredibly helpful space to disentangle issues and make your writing more productive. I can’t imagine finishing my book without Karen at this point. 100% recommend!”
“[Karen] is brilliant at spotting big structural problems in real time, anticipating potential pitfalls, and proposing practical solutions. Every one-hour writing session with her—even when she doesn’t know in advance what we’ll cover—is extremely productive. 100% worth it.”
Interested in editing and writing support services? Please get in touch.