Auction Item 18b: Substantive/developmental edit by Lynnette Labelle

About this item: One free substantive/developmental edit of the first 1,500 words in one of the following genres/subgenres: romance (romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic thriller, contemporary romance, and romantic comedy), mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, crime, paranormal/supernatural, fantasy, urban fantasy, dystopia, women’s fiction, NA, and YA.

Note: NA and YA must fit in one of the genres/subgenres listed above. For example, a young adult contemporary romance would qualify, but a young adult science fiction novel wouldn’t.

Here’s a description of the substantive/developmental editing:

This type of editing focuses on the big picture issues in a manuscript, which include story and craft but not copyediting. Are your characters three-dimensional? Are there plot holes or loose ends in your story? Is your novel working as a whole?

I’ll also look at issues like: telling instead of showing, inconsistencies in the story, flat dialogue, unrealistic reactions or actions, underdeveloped main characters, overdeveloped minor characters, backstory dumps, author intrusion, POV slips, deep POV implementation, bad choreography, poor execution of GMCs (goals, motivation, conflicts), and lack of emotions. I’ll flag these issues directly in the manuscript with Track Changes and offer suggestions on how you can rework the problem area.

This is a great service for writers who want to ensure their story is properly developed before they focus on the mechanics (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).

Donated by …

Lynnette Labelle

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E-mail: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com

Lynnette Labelle is a freelance editor, developmental/content editor, and copy editor with over thirteen years of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers.

Lynnette specializes in substantive/developmental editing for romance (romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic thriller, contemporary romance, and romantic comedy), mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, crime, paranormal/supernatural, fantasy, urban fantasy, dystopia, women’s fiction, NA, and YA. She also helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses, and she teaches several writing classes.

Lynnette has a bachelor of education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She’s a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Romance Writers of America, and Savvy Authors.

Lynnette’s clients range from new writers to best-selling authors like Roni Loren, Rebecca Hamilton, and Cristin Harber. Lynnette works with writers seeking traditional publishing and indie authors.

STARTING BID: $10

TURNAROUND TIME allow two weeks for query critiques + 1st chapters, four weeks for partials, and six weeks for full critiques. Donors will discuss turnaround times with winners. All winning bids are guaranteed. Should some unforeseen event happen, money will be returned to winner or the winner may choose to have Brenda Drake provide the critique.