u/dev_editing_fantasy

Many new authors I’ve encountered are often unsure about the different types of editing and reviewing involved in the writing and publishing process of their novels. This serves as a mini-guideline to help clarify these aspects for you.

1. Alpha Readers: These readers get to review the first draft of your manuscript before it undergoes any polishing. Alpha readers provide feedback as you progress through the chapters of your novel.

2. Developmental Editors: This type of editing focuses on the big-picture structural elements. A developmental editor examines your plot structure, pacing, character development, themes, consistency of the world-building, and narrative logic. They analyze the foundation of your manuscript and offer suggestions on how it can be improved.

3. Beta Reading - Beta readers are individuals from your target audience who provide feedback on their experience and thoughts after reading your manuscript. You may make some revisions to the manuscript based on this feedback.

4. Sensitivity Readers/Fact-Checkers - Sensitivity readers and fact-checkers review your manuscript to verify the accuracy of historical timelines and cultural references, ensuring that sensitive content is not romanticized.

5. Line Editing - Line editors examine your manuscript to ensure that sentence flow, clarity, and rhythm are smooth while helping to reduce redundancy.

6. Copy Editing - A copy editor checks for grammar, punctuation, spelling, internal consistency, and adherence to a style guide. This differs from line editing, which focuses on the flow and structure of the writing.

7. Proofreading - A proofreader reviews the manuscript after formatting to catch any errors that may have been overlooked during previous editing rounds.

8. ARC Reviewers - ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) reviewers read your book, typically in electronic format, for free and write reviews on platforms of their choice, such as Goodreads and Amazon.

Many new authors I’ve encountered are often unsure about the different types of editing and reviewing involved in the writing and publishing process of their novels. This serves as a mini-guideline to help clarify these aspects for you.

1. Alpha Readers: These readers get to review the first draft of your manuscript before it undergoes any polishing. Alpha readers provide feedback as you progress through the chapters of your novel.

2. Developmental Editors: This type of editing focuses on the big-picture structural elements. A developmental editor examines your plot structure, pacing, character development, themes, consistency of the world-building, and narrative logic. They analyze the foundation of your manuscript and offer suggestions on how it can be improved.

This is what I help with as a developmental editor specializing in Fantasy and Psychological Thrillers. I look at your pacing, character arcs, plot structure, chapter and scene-wise. Check out my website for testimonials and information: https://arzenaeditorial.my.canva.site/

3. Beta Reading - Beta readers are individuals from your target audience who provide feedback on their experience and thoughts after reading your manuscript. You may make some revisions to the manuscript based on this feedback.

4. Sensitivity Readers/Fact-Checkers - Sensitivity readers and fact-checkers review your manuscript to verify the accuracy of historical timelines and cultural references, ensuring that sensitive content is not romanticized.

5. Line Editing - Line editors examine your manuscript to ensure that sentence flow, clarity, and rhythm are smooth while helping to reduce redundancy.

6. Copy Editing - A copy editor checks for grammar, punctuation, spelling, internal consistency, and adherence to a style guide. This differs from line editing, which focuses on the flow and structure of the writing.

7. Proofreading - A proofreader reviews the manuscript after formatting to catch any errors that may have been overlooked during previous editing rounds.

8. ARC Reviewers - ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) reviewers read your book, typically in electronic format, for free and write reviews on platforms of their choice, such as Goodreads and Amazon.

Hiii 👋👋👋

So basically I am thinking of publishing my debut poem collection which has 20 poems for my 21st birthday. Just celebrating through what I love most.

And I am seeking beta readers to give me feedback on the 20 poems and would love to swap beta read for your poems in exchange.

The poem contains dark themes such as suicide and slowly deciding that the narrator does not want to live in the dark place anymore.

List of TW;

1. Self harm references

2. Depression and dissociation

3. Anxiety

4. Grief and loss

5. Physical/domestic violence

6. Suicidal ideation

7. Body image and self hatred

8. Emotional suppression and masking

9. Isolation and loneliness

10. Death of loved one

Dme if you're interested.

If I have to summarise most plotting problems I see in manuscripts, all come down to this:
Scenes with no consequence or safe consequence. And safe is exactly how your readers get bored instantly.

Most writers are protecting our characters without even knowing. When you break that, the plot might become much more interesting.

Here are a few things that hold a plot together:

1. Cause and effect: Can you trace back to why and how a particular thing in your novel happened? If your scenes can be removed without the core plot and tension of your manuscript remaining unchanged, then you have no need for that scene.

follow the chain of: Character makes a choice, mistake or is forced upon something, makes a decision, and faces the consequence of that decision.

Breaking this chain breaks the flow of the plot

2. Raise your stakes: If your stakes remain unchanged for the remainder of your manuscript from the introduction of your core conflict, then you have a manuscript readers will happily DNF (or finish with excruciating pain, we don't want that)

So each scene should do 2 of these things: Move the story forward, raise stakes or provide obstacles in the path.

3. Turning points: Break the belief of your characters. After they have believed in something so strongly without question, if that breaks, the tension immediately rises.

4. Avoid info-dumping in the middle: Almost every manuscript nails the starting and the climax, except the middle, where scenes are bloated and slow. Tightening the scenes, eliminating the scenes that do not either move a story forward, ground the reader before a shift, or increase tension, does not need to be present.

5. Emotional grounding: Even the amazing and most marvellous stories fall if you fail to ground your readers in your protagonist's emotion. This is what keeps the tears flowing down their faces!

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer in the comments or DMs

Hi everyone. As the title says, I am a dev editor and i have some really good testimonials while I did a couple of developmental editing for free. But, I have switched from offering free services to paid ones and have no outcome yet.

If you're an editor, i would really love to know how you got your first few paid clients.