Description
July 1st - 31st
10 People. 20 Pages. Deep Developmental Edits.
Editing your manuscript to get it ready for an agent or editor requires more than just crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s.
That’s where a developmental editor comes in.
Developmental editing is the first stage in preparing your manuscript for professional eyes. It helps you to build complex characters, checks that your pacing is not boring the reader, and makes sure you’ve plugged all those pesky plot holes.
In Dazzling Developmental edits, you will work one-on-one with a professional editor who will help you learn the difference between a developmental edit and a copy edit, how to accept criticism when it stings, and learn what to expect from your very first developmental edit.
During our time together we will developmental edit the first two chapters of your work in progress.
What you’ll learn:
- The difference between developmental edits, copy edits, and line edits.
- What to expect from a developmental editor.
- How to find a developmental editor.
- Why developmental editing is so important to your manuscript.
Who should take this course:
- New authors who have never received a developmental edit before.
- Seasoned authors who are looking to receive feedback on a new story before sending it to an agent or editor.
- Indie authors who have never worked with a developmental editor before.
- Any author who is looking for feedback on their work.
Lesson Plan:
Week One: Introduction to developmental editing.
- Class introductions
- What is developmental editing
- Why it is important
- What a good developmental edit can do for your manuscript
- Editing your first page
Week Two: Let’s get practical.
- How to accept criticism without wanting to give up.
- How to understand your editing notes.
- Editing your first chapter.
Week Three: Digging deep into your manuscript.
- How to find the best editor for you.
- How much a developmental editor costs.
- Working as a team to make your story shine.
- Editing your second chapter.
Week Four: Your final Edit
- Editing your final pages.
- Asking and answering any questions about your edits.
- One-on-one calls or Zoom meeting about your edits.
Teacher
Jenn Windrow runs her own developmental editing company called Irreverent Publishing and she is also an in-house developmental editor for Champagne Book Group. She’s worked in all genres, such as Romance, Women’s’ fiction, Sci-fi, Satire, Erotica, Thrillers, Historical, and Fantasy, ranging from five thousand-word short stories to over one hundred thousand-word novels.
When she’s not editing others’ work, she spends her time playing in her own worlds. She’s published six books in the past four years, both in the traditionally published world and the indie published.
She loves characters who have a pinch of spunk, a dash of attitude, and a large dollop of sex appeal. Top it all off with a huge heaping helping of snark, and you’ve got the ingredients for the kind of fast paced stories she loves to read and write. Home is a suburb of it’s-so-hot-my-shoes-have-melted-to-the-pavement Phoenix. Where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and a slew of animals that seem to keep following her home, at least that’s what she claims.
