Blog 45: Interview with a Developmental Editor

Yes! It’s that time again, when I ask one of the members of the Author Support Network to introduce themselves and tell us how they can help you elevate your writing.

Today, I am delighted to be chatting with the lovely Nej Steer. To save yourself the embarrassment of mispronouncing her name, as I did, Nej is said as Neigh (like a horse, I was told), and I have tried to remember this ever since.

Hello Nej, it is great to have you with us today. Please tell us a little about yourself and how you galloped your way into the world of Developmental Editing.

Developmental Editing somewhat chose me, to be honest. I did my Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Aberystwyth 15 years ago. While I was there, I found every single tutor had a different standard of what they liked to see in the assignments they set. I find pattern recognition very easy, so I began helping my classmates to hone in on the elements that would gain them the most marks based on what the tutors used as their rubric.

By the time I did my Masters in Creative Writing in Plymouth University, I was running writer’s workshops for my cohort and doing editing casually for people I knew. I had a reputation for being the person to make sure everyone’s punctuation and spelling were perfect, and helped a number of my classmates with their dissertations to make sure they were as clean as possible.

Finally, in 2024, once I’d started my Doctorate in Fine Arts in Creative Writing (again!) at the University of Glasgow, I found myself for the first time in an online community of writers. I discovered that workshops – the backbone of my writing experience in academia – were an extremely unfamiliar format of critique to anyone who hadn’t done writing in university. So, I began offering that group the workshops.

Through a sequence of bizarre and unfortunate circumstances, I closed out 2024 with a need to pivot my career path. After doing editing casually for over a decade and running workshops for 7 years, and teaching writing through various companies on the side, I began to take myself seriously. I researched the different types of editing and found that my interests and skills leaned towards those in Developmental Editing.

Wow, it sounds like you were the person to know at university! I recall my time at uni and how uncomfortable it was for me and the other students when we began critiquing each other’s work.  It is definitely a skill that needs practice. For the readers that aren’t aware, your website's name is Nej the story doc, which I presume comes from the fact you are doing a Doctorate, which I love by the way! But back to Developmental Editing. Could you tell us why this particular editing process is so important when crafting a story?

Developmental Editing is the dirtiest type of editing (not the saucy kind). It’s the one that comes immediately after finishing a first draft. It’s where you take this glorious, chaotic pile of words that you created, and you begin to pick out all the details and make sure it all makes sense as an overall narrative.

It’s where the big changes happen, where the characters find their voices, and you make sure all those plot holes are neatly paved over so the reader never will know they’re there. Developmental Editing might not be the type of editing you think of when you hear ‘editing’ but it is where an interesting story becomes a great book.

So, what stage would an author come to you for this service, and how would they know that a developmental edit is required on their manuscript?

I speak to people at every point in their journey, to be honest. Some people chat to me when they’ve written 3 chapters, and some when they have a complete manuscript and are ready to pull the trigger on getting a professional to look at it. I would say that it’s never too early to talk to a developmental editor. Not only does it give you a chance to shop around and get the best person for you and your work, but also many editors do payment plans that can be spread over a number of months – ultimately making it more affordable for you.

It's easy for me to say that Dev Editing is possibly the most important type of editing, because obviously, that’s my job. But even as a writer, I will say it absolutely is essential. It’s the most expensive type of edit, simply because of the sheer amount of work that goes into it – and I know that price point is something that people baulk at.

I see lots of writers say that they intend to rely on Alpha and Beta readers for the Dev Edits, and only get a professional for Line Edits and Proofreading. But then I work with authors who have had their work read by non-professionals. When they give me their work, I immediately find five or six problems which completely undermine their narratives that were entirely overlooked by their readers. They don’t compare at all.

Absolutely, if you are putting your work out into the world, you don’t want readers to be able to poke holes in it and find things that don’t make sense. Can you tell us what it involves, perhaps giving examples of what may need to be changed and why?

Dev Edits cover the big-picture issues. Plot holes, character development, narrative arc, thematic consistency, pacing, fact checking, and so on. I look at everything and make sure that it works all together.

Every single client is different – just as every book is different. The most common issues I find in a novel are within the first 25% of the novel. Most of the time, this is where the author has been trying to find their voice and sort of playing around with writing. It’s also the part that makes or breaks a story, because if the reader can’t get through that first section of a novel, they won’t bother with the rest of the novel.

My most common advice I give is to completely rewrite the first 5 or 6 chapters of a novel. By the time you finish writing your manuscript, you know your characters, and you know your story. But it will definitely have evolved since you began writing. So go back, and be really harsh to those first few chapters. Make sure they don’t let down the rest of your narrative.

That’s amazing advice! We are definitely finding our feet when we begin writing something new, so to go back and rework the start is a great idea. When authors send their work to you, do you physically change the manuscript, or do you give an evaluation of what the author needs to address?

Little of column A, little of column B. I make line-level changes in the manuscript with tracked changes, making sure the client is aware of every single one in case they disagree for whatever reason. I also make comments in the manuscript if there’s something I notice on a line level. I will say that this is unusual for a Dev Editor and is actually outside my remit – but I can’t help myself to mention something that is an easy fix. Haha.

But the bulk of my analysis comes in the form of supplementary notes. I believe these are also known as an editor’s letter or style sheet more commonly, but I like to call it supplementary notes. In this, it begins with a full breakdown of every single character you’ve mentioned, to highlight any inconsistencies in their appearance you may have accidentally made, or if you’ve duplicated names or names that are too similar. Then, a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of specific issues that may have occurred on a chapter-level basis. Whether it’s pacing, phrasing inconsistency, or sadness that you’ve killed off my favourite character. After this, I give a statistical analysis of your novel. Sometimes applying averages to your manuscript word count can really pinpoint areas of concern. Finally, an overall breakdown of the big-picture things: good, neutral, and improvements. When it’s all done, I usually write about 10k+ of notes for each manuscript I work on.

You certainly give the story a thorough assessment. But what if the author is still unsure about their manuscript afterwards? Do you offer an ongoing period of service, several run-throughs or follow-ups, where the author has implemented changes and wishes for you to check it over?

Every contract with me includes a revision as standard. This isn’t so much of a Big Job as the first edit, but more of a once-over to check what changes you’ve implemented based on my advice. It equates to basically what a Beta Reader might do for you. In addition to this, every contract has a 2-hour video call debrief so that we can discuss the notes as a whole. I also am very happy to chat in general about your work, so if you need help, just drop me a message or email to ask a quick question. You may even get a random message where I’ve thought about something regarding your project that hadn’t occurred to me before.

In all, I see this relationship as collaborative and friendly. I maintain great relationships with my clients very intentionally because I want to see them succeed in every aspect of their writing careers.

That’s great to know. Writing can be a daunting experience, so you certainly want someone with whom you feel comfortable to assist you along your journey. Do your prices differ depending on how much is required to the manuscript, or is it a fixed price in terms of per word or per hour?

I charge per word, but I’m currently working at a technical discount for what I do. Even though I’m well-versed in the intricacies of Developmental Editing, and I’m very qualified for the work that I do, I am aware that I’m new professionally. My business is only just a year old (happy birthday to me!), and my clientele isn’t established. I only currently have one title out there that I’ve edited – with more to be published in the New Year. So, until I’m more reputable in that way, I am working at reduced rates compared to what I’m worth.

Happy Business Birthday! And one year on/over a decade altogether, what advice would you give to new authors when it comes to Developmental Editing?

Work backwards, ask stupid questions, and find time to cry.

Developmental Editing is the biggest job of editing that you can do, because it’s where everything begins to take shape. There are going to be things that you’re going to lose which you love and don’t want to lose. But if they aren’t serving your overall narrative, then they don’t have a place on the page. Don’t get rid of them entirely, but rather keep them for another project.

At every stage in your story, ask why the characters are doing X thing. What if they did Y thing? Questioning your own narrative is going to uncover so many previously unseen plot holes.

By starting at the end of your manuscript and working your way backwards, your brain will compute the information as Different and New, and you’ll begin to see more hiccups than before.

That sounds like a unique idea. I must try that with my WIP. So, once you have completed a Dev Edit, do you offer any other services that would build on what has already been done?

I do offer copy and line edits, and I’m looking at how to incorporate these into a package deal for the future.

I actually offer more services before Dev Edits than after. I offer Manuscript Reviews for people who are looking for feedback on their story if they’re intending to submit to agents for traditional publishing, which includes a dev edit on the first 10k of their work, and the supplementary notes for the rest.

My most common assistance is Story Surgery, which is a 1 or 2-hour session with me where we just talk about your overall narrative. These are very affordable and can be used for anything at any time.

I also do a Mentoring service, where I will guide authors from their first words through to a completed manuscript up to publication. These include monthly editing packages and video call conversations to discuss your work.

All very valuable services for authors trying to get their story on the page! Have you got any other advice for our readers today in terms of their writing?

It sounds reductive, but keep writing. So many good ideas are gone forever when people lose faith in their own abilities, or that they won’t get read, or a myriad of other reasons. But fight against that urge to give up and keep writing.

Yes! The more you write, the more skilled you become. And finally, what’s your favourite genre to read, and are you reading anything at the moment that you would recommend?

Because of my research, I read mostly science fiction, but I read very widely across a number of genres. My current roster of novels (because I rarely read one at a time) includes The Martian by Andy Weir, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers. My favourite ever novels are The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and Brog the Stoop by Joe Boyle.

Whoa, you certainly like to keep your mind busy. Thanks for those recommendations, Nej, and for popping in to chat with us.

For those who want to find out more about Nej and what she offers, you can find her on https://www.angel-editing.com/author-support-network or directly through her website: https://nejthestorydoc.co.uk/

And if you want to hear more from this lovely lady, you will be able to read her article, among others from our network, that will be available in the not-too-distant future as a free ebook From Manuscript to Market: An Author’s Guide. Her article is entitled “A Basic Guide to Plotting and Worldbuilding.” So, watch out for that!

Thanks for reading, and catch you next week.