Is it just me, or is it REALLY hard to find any information about how to apply developmental edits? I mean, I’ve found general advice from the editor’s side of the table, but I researched FOR WEEKS for a method of applying developmental edits from the writer’s side and I came up with a total of one, count ‘em, ONE helpful video (but more on that later)!

This really bothered me as someone who had never had a developmental edit or applied a developmental edit until this year. Getting these edits back was like building a massive, grand medieval cathedral that I was very proud of, and then having the master architect review it and say, “This is great, but you forgot to add the vestry. Based on the design you already have, it makes the most sense to put it here,” and then point to A SOLID WALL at the side of the cathedral. 

And the master architect (developmental editor) is right. I had forgotten the vestry (multiple, as edits generally go), and I had no clue how to knock a hole in my carefully built cathedral wall and add the aforementioned vestry while making it look like it was a part of the original structure all along! And in my research, I found next to nobody talking about the best ways to blow holes in cathedral walls so that vestries could be added!

I hope you’re getting the idea of my frustration.

But I did manage to successfully apply a developmental edit, and I wanted to make sure there’s at least one other person talking about methods of application, just in case what I did could help someone else in a similar situation.

So without further ado, here are six tips for applying developmental edits for the first time, based on what I learned from my own process.

Tip 1: Have a revision notes document with a checkbox list of changes

The first thing I did when I received my developmental edits was to read through my editor’s comments and make a checklist document of all changes that needed to be made. I created a heading for each section and a heading for “big picture” items. I then went through each comment and pasted the change with the corresponding quote under the corresponding headings. As I went, I allowed myself to write out what I could do to incorporate the change, or think through possibilities I could use to make the changes work. 

After reading through all the comments, I looked over the items listed under the “big picture” heading and identified the places it made sense to address the change. I added a new check box for those changes in each heading and took notes about how I could blend it in with that section of the story.

Why did this work for me?

By the end of the process, I had a really good roadmap of where to go and what to do. It helped keep me organized, and I felt like I had a digestible, bird’s eye view of what the story would look like when I was done applying the edits. It also gave me easy to copy and paste to-do list items to put in my Notion so I could see the completion percentage tick up as I progressed.

Tip 2: Use the “Frankenstein Revision Method”

I now had my revision document, but after that came the bit I was struggling with… making the changes. Earlier, I used the analogy of blowing a hole in a cathedral wall to add the missing vestry because when stonemasons and architects did stuff like this, there was likely a method the’d use so it didn’t destroy the structure. Similarly, I was looking for a method I could use to get these edits wedged seamlessly into my document, and generalized advice just wasn’t cutting it.

Cue in the amazing Jessica Brody.

In my search, I came across Jessica Brody’s YouTube video, “How to Revise Your Novel Using the ‘Frankenstein’ Method.” This video had EXACTLY what I was looking for! I highly recommend watching her video for yourself, but I’ll give you a quick overview of what it’s about here.

The idea is that you have three documents open: your original document, a blank document, and your revision notes. Using your revision notes as a guide, you go through your original document and copy + paste the text you are keeping into your blank document. When you hit an area you have a revision note for, you type in brackets what the change is and how you’ll make it, and then move on to paste in the next section of text you are keeping. Do this for your whole story until you’ve added all the relevant changes in brackets to your new document. 

Once finished, go back through your story from the beginning and “stitch” the bracketed areas into your story with prose, narration, description, or whatever it is you need to do to apply the change. 

Why did this work for me?

This method actively protected the good stuff! My biggest worry around applying developmental edits was that I’d destroy the solid foundation I’d already laid. The last thing I wanted to do was make the story worse than when I started. 

It also gave me targeted places to change. Instead of running all over the document like a writer with her head cut off, I knew exactly what to change where. No more backtracks, backthreading, forgetting what I’d already changed, etc. It was all laid out there IN ORDER for me to take care of.

The last thing it did for me was remind me of my process. I realized that when I pull together a first draft, I usually write long before I cut it down to bring out craft elements like voice, tone, and style.

Tip 3: Write Ugly

At first, I was trying way too hard to fill those bracketed areas with “perfect” prose. I wanted it to match the narration of the rest of the story immediately, and I was overwhelmed by meeting those standards in the first take. 

It was like trying to fix a cracked pot with more clay. I was trying to measure the size and shape of the cracks and reproduce it just so make my lump of clay fit in the crack perfectly the first time. This was aggravating and paralyzing.

I eventually let that perfectionism go, instead metaphorically stuffing globs of clay into the cracks before shaving, shaping, and cutting until it all blended perfectly.

In other words, I had to write ugly.

Earlier, I mentioned that the Frankenstien method reminded me of my process, and this is exactly what I meant. I had to allow myself to think on the page, meander through my character’s thoughts to figure out what they were saying—decide whether it fit the the narration or not. I had to trust myself enough to know I’d get to the point eventually and then be able to cut it down and stylize it once I knew where I was going.

Why did this work for me?

It got the throat-clearing prose out of the way. I didn’t know in all cases what I was trying to say, or what my character was trying to say, so I had to discover it. But once I knew, I found a simpler, more direct way of saying it.

Additionally, it allowed me to work through dialogue and scenarios that would not work for the story. I have times where I don’t know if something is or isn’t going to work until I’m deep into drafting. I need to experiment to figure out what story paths are viable, and which are not. Writing ugly gives me the freedom to do that and permission to delete the bad stuff later.

Tip 4: Take a break!

Filling in all those brackets was deeply rewarding, but equally exhausting. I absolutely needed some distance from it, because I was getting absolutely sick of re-reading my writing. As a reward, I worked on a fun side project for 2-3 days so my brain could chew on the best way to revise my fresh prose. 

Why did this work for me?

Imposter syndrome was raging and I needed some space. It was nice to not be hearing, “This is crap, this is wrong, this is terrible,” over and over in my head as I worked. I was stressed that I ruined my story, plus I felt like I needed to occupy my brain with something that had so much less pressure on it. I ended up taking two to three days off to outline a more fun, light-hearted story I was really passionate about. By the time I needed to get back to work on revising my editions, I felt rested enough to tackle the challenge.

Tip 5: Ask for a final readthrough by people who loved the story from the beginning 

This step was crucial to the success of my story. My main goal was to avoid ruining the story wrote, so I asked the handful of people who read the initial drafts and raved to me about it to review it again and let me know where I deviated from the original premise. 

Thankfully, everyone came back and told me the changes enhanced the story!

I don’t think I’ve breathed a bigger sigh of relief.

Why did this work for me?

By this point, I was waaaay too close to the project to be able to recognize if I’d destroyed it or not. These individuals were my canary in the mine; if they hated it, I would know I had done the story dirty and would need to go back to the drawing board. 

Tip 6: Trust your writing instincts

There is only one person who cares for your stories as much as you do. 

Surprise!

It’s you.

Getting feedback from mentors, colleagues, and peers has its place, but at the end of the day, you’re the one who makes the decision. Your writer instincts will tell you what advice to keep and what advice to throw away, and it is really hard to learn to trust it.

I threw away a lot of advice for “Pearls,” even suggestions my developmental editor made! I learned that in the end, regardless of my fear that I’d destroy the story, I could discern what my story needed and what my story didn’t. And it was better for it. It took a lot to trust that when I had decision fatigue and anxiety over every change chewing me up inside. 

Deep down, I think I knew how the story was supposed to go, and I had to actively have faith that my writing process would bring it out. And I was right.

Conclusion

At the conclusion of this process, I ended up with a story that I feel is my best work to date. I’m so proud of “Pearls,” and what it turned into. And now that I’m done working on it, I have a better idea of what my long term process could look like for future developmental edits! 

Hopefully some of what I learned will be helpful for you as you apply your own developmental edits. And for those who have already completed this process, what tips and tricks have you learned in applying revisions? Let me know in the comments! I’m always open to trying new things.

Until next time!