Developmental Editing

I offer developmental editing services for works of fiction and creative non-fiction.

 As a developmental editor I work from a place of trust and respect for the writer. I make suggestions and offer questions rather than always providing answers. I believe the writer has the answers and it is the editor's job to point out places where they can go deeper, be clearer, be more truthful (even in fiction), or where the story isn't working or could be developed. It is not my job to make your voice different, but to work with your unique voice to help your work really flourish.

I will share what I love as well as the questions I have. I am honest and respectful.  

Much of my editorial work has been with my mentoring clients, but I deeply enjoy editing and am now making it available outside of my mentoring space.

Please note that developmental editing focusses on how a piece is working as a whole and does not focus on spelling and grammar.

Testimonials

"[Susannah] pointed out all the places where I had gone too fast and the places where I became too tangential. The great thing about her editing was that 99% of the time I completely agreed, I knew I was up to some lazy or nefarious sidelining and Susannah’s kind and rigorous reading got me right back on track.  And she made me feel good about it!  Rarely have I had someone read my work and see it the way I needed it to be seen.  She’s also very organized and kept all of the threads clear as we worked through my writing."

K.H. - USA