Developmental Editing: How to Find the Narrative Arc

Compare editing and writing: editors work on another's argument to understand and present it accessibly, while self-editing demands time, space, and preserving the author's voice.

Explore the full spectrum of editing, from ghostwriting to developmental editing, highlighting the silent partner role, structure, and the primacy of clear narrative flow in shaping a text.

Apply an eight-pass editing workflow from a quick read through to proofing, using comments, restructuring, and seamless transitions to shape a clear narrative arc.

Learn how nonfiction has a narrative arc: establish a clear argument from A to B to C to D, convey the editor's guiding star, and ensure author excitement and clarity.

Discover how to identify and articulate the narrative arc using the imagined interlocutor technique. Gain control of material and focus the main argument.

Identify the skeleton from A through E with an overflow document and postpone transitions, then decide what to include, trim, or relocate.

Apply Angie's principle to editing by foregrounding the core idea and trimming the writer’s thought process, while considering inverted structures that lead with payoff to engage readers.

Balance essential and non-essential background, fact-checking, and exact quotes from credible journals (like the Lancet or Jama) to support arguments without overreach.

Craft engaging non-fiction by showing, not telling, removing weak openings and apologies, and guiding readers from point A to B to C with a confident, focused voice.

Identify and cut four stylistic peeves—argument by adjective, irrelevant appeal to authority, cynicism, and irrelevant information—to strengthen credibility and reader experience through decisive editing.

Use one or two technical terms to frame a piece, translate non-English terms, and avoid overwhelming readers with jargon; introduce, explain, and contextualize terms to add meaningful spice.

Refine line editing by converting passive to active constructions, tightening sentences, and removing extraneous phrasing, all while preserving meaning and narrative nuance and avoiding automatic, uncontrolled edits.

Improve readability and the reading experience through developmental editing, benefiting authors, readers, publishers, and editors—and demonstrating editing as a service with wide impact.

Develop your path to becoming a great editor by mastering developmental editing and the narrative arc, while learning to improve the reading experience for readers around the world.