Developmental Editing
A developmental edit is for when you want more than an outside perspective on your manuscript – you want hands-on editorial guidance as you revise it.
This is the big-picture stage of the editing process, sometimes called structural or substantive editing.
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Your romance needs more than a strong love story. It needs characters readers care about, chemistry they can feel, conflict that keeps them turning the pages, and a romantic arc that delivers on its promise.
I’ll look at the elements that shape your story as a whole: structure, pacing, character development, plot, themes, and overall coherence. I’ll help identify areas where the story may need more depth, where scenes could be strengthened or rearranged, where the pacing may lag, and where character arcs or plot threads could be developed further.
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I use the comments function throughout your manuscript to get into the detail of individual scenes, explain my thinking and suggest ways to bring out their full potential.
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Every suggestion I make is intended to bring out the very best in your story while staying true to the heart of what you’ve created.
Alongside the comments in your manuscript, you’ll receive an extensive editorial letter bringing everything together. I will highlight the strengths I see in your manuscript, pinpoint the areas that would benefit most from attention, and give you clear, actionable guidance to help you approach your revisions with confidence.​
My analysis covers:
Story & Structure
Plot, themes, pacing, chapter sequencing, scene transitions, and the overall shape of your story.
Characters & Relationships
Character development, character and relationship arcs, motivation, emotional payoff, and whether your characters feel fully realised.sex and intimate scenes
Voice & Writing Craft:
Point of view, dialogue, showing and telling, as well as the use of clichés, metaphors, or similes.
Genre & Readership:
How well the manuscript meets genre conventions and reader expectations, and whether the story delivers the experience your readers are looking for.
Representation & Sensitive content: Stereotypes, misrepresentation, marginalisation, and other sensitive material.
Why choose a developmental edit?
This service is particularly valuable when you know there’s something not quite working, but you’re not sure what it is or how to fix it. Sometimes, the problem is buried deeper in the story.
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Through the in-line comments you can see my thinking at the point where it matters. Rather than just telling you that a character needs more development, for example, I can point to the scenes where that development could be strengthened. Rather than saying the pacing slows in the middle, I can show you where I’m feeling that and why.
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The result is a much more detailed editorial roadmap – one that you can return to throughout the revision process. It’s ideal if you want support not only in understanding your manuscript, but in actively shaping it into the strongest version of the story you set out to write.
Pricing
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£0.018 per word
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For smaller projects, a minimum charge of £90 applies. Projects under £300 are payable in full upfront.
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If you’re writing short stories, you’re welcome to bundle them together as one project.
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Flexible payment plans available.
£180
£360
£720
£1,080
£1,440
£1,800
10,000 words
20,000 words
40,000 words
60,000 words
80,000 words
100,000 words
Ready to take a deep dive?
Let’s refine your story together.
Leave a message and I’ll get back to you!
