Description

Developmental Editing of Fiction: Strategies for Stepping Back to See the Big Picture

Adding structure to your process can help you stay focused on the elements that matter. That, in turn, can help you deliver an edit that targets what your client needs. This webinar covers using systems to keep track of key story elements and help you analyze them, techniques to help you step back and give yourself space to think about the story, creating a structural plan to help you maintain focus when marking up the manuscript, and processes that can help you communicate with the author about the big picture.

Listen to the Music: Introduction to Line Editing

If developmental editing helps shape a story and copyediting polishes it, line editing is what makes the writing come alive. Line editors listen to the music behind the written word. This webinar will challenge developmental editors and copyeditors to approach editing from the middle distance, connecting with the writing while detaching from the big picture or the small cleanup issues. We’ll talk about authorial voice, discuss how to work with writing on a line level, and work through a few examples comparing line editing to other editorial phases.

Developmental Editing of Fiction: Beginning

Developmental editors (DEs) are all about the big picture. They assess how a manuscript hangs together as a whole, how a story moves and unfurls, how characters drive the story forward. And above all, DEs are the author’s collaborating partner—they hone the writer’s unique voice and make the author’s vision their vision. This self-paced introductory course is meant for anyone who wants to help authors shape their stories, develop their storytelling grit, and conquer the boring in their manuscripts. It covers what every DE needs to know to start working in the industry.

Five-week traditional course, beginning June 26: Developmental Editing of Fiction: Intermediate

In this immersive course, you’ll embark on a five-week journey into the heart of short fiction editing, explicitly designed for the bustling world of literary magazines, journals, and anthologies. Each week unfolds with unique activities, from understanding market dynamics and editorial preferences to dissecting the nuances of editing short versus long fiction. The length constraints of short stories will fine-tune your editing skills, enabling you to help authors drill down and say more by saying less.

Four-week traditional course, beginning August 7: Developmental Editing of Fiction: Intermediate

If you have experience in fiction developmental editing (or if you’ve completed “Developmental Editing of Fiction: Beginning”), this four-week class will take your skills to the next level. We’ll expand on the fundamentals of developmental editing, including structure, beats, pacing, and character development; address legal and ethical issues in character development; and talk about how to manage developmental edits for authors at various levels of ability.