Story Deep-dive Developmental Edit

A detailed developmental edit where I get right into your manuscript, from the bigger story arc down to what’s happening chapter by chapter.

We’ll look at the things you’d expect, like structure, pacing and character development, but we’ll also dig properly into the mystery itself. Are your clues in the right places? Are your red herrings actually convincing? Do your suspects have believable motives? Does your sleuth drive the investigation forward? And does the final reveal feel both surprising and fair?

I’ll also look at the other half of the cosy crime equation: the characters, relationships and community around the mystery. The crime needs to keep us turning the pages, but the world you’ve created needs to be somewhere we want to come back to.

What I will look at

Detailed analysis report and also in line comments covering:

• Overall plot and structure

• Pacing and story flow

• Mystery and investigation

• Clue placement and red herrings

• Suspects, motives and alibis

• Sleuth motivation and agency

• Character development and relationships

• Subplots

• The balance between the mystery and the cosy world

• The final reveal and resolution

• Continuity, logic and any pesky plot holes

What you’ll receive

• An 8+ page editorial report bringing together the main findings from your edit

• Chapter-by-chapter feedback

• Comments throughout your manuscript, so you can see exactly where my feedback relates to the story

• Clear suggestions for what to work on and where to start

• One review of your revisions once you've made your changes

Who it’s for

Story Deep Dive is for writers who want more than a big-picture assessment.

I'll look at what's happening across the whole manuscript, but I'll also get into individual chapters and scenes to show you where problems are cropping up and with suggestions on how to improve them. I'll also celebrate and call out areas which are working really well.