The Hidden Benefits of Being Your Own Developmental Editor: A Writer's Guide

Writers can (and often do) spend thousands of dollars on developmental editing. It’s one of the biggest investments you’ll make on the way to publication. But before you fork over that kind of cash, there’s another option worth considering—one that costs nothing but time and attention: learning to be your own developmental editor.

It might sound daunting at first, but here’s the truth: the more you learn to edit your own work at this level, the stronger a writer you become. Understanding how story structure works, how characters evolve, how pacing builds tension—these are core storytelling tools. Carpenters don’t hire developmental hammerers. You shouldn’t either, at least not until you’ve taken a good swing at it yourself.

This guide is here to help. It’ll walk you through the basic big-picture skills and tools that go into shaping a draft into something tight, readable, and publishable. You’ll learn when to trust your instincts, when to second-guess them, and when it might actually be time to call in backup.

Whether this is your first novel or your fifth, every draft is a chance to get better.

What Is Developmental Editing and Why It Matters

Developmental editing is the deep-dive, big-picture part of revision. It’s not about commas or spelling—it’s about structure. This is where you ask the big questions: Is the story working? Do the characters grow? Does the plot actually plot?

Think of it as remodeling, not redecorating. You’re knocking down walls, adding support beams, maybe rerouting the plumbing. It’s the unglamorous work that makes everything else possible.

What You’re Looking At

• Does the story move? Are things happening for a reason?

• Are the characters changing in meaningful ways?

• Is the pacing smooth or bumpy?

• Does the ending feel earned—or just sudden?

This is the level where you find out if you’ve got a novel… or just 300 pages of interesting things that kind of happen.

How It’s Different from Copyediting or Proofreading

Copyediting is sentence-level polish: grammar, syntax, word choice, continuity errors. Proofreading is final cleanup: catching typos and stray punctuation. Developmental editing is before all that. It’s where you decide if Chapter 9 even belongs, or if your main character should really be the neighbor instead.

Why You Should Learn to Do It Yourself

Yes, professional developmental editors exist. Yes, they’re helpful. And yes, they can be expensive.

But learning to do this work yourself is invaluable. It makes you sharper, faster, and more confident with every draft. You start writing with structure in mind. You develop a better feel for when something’s off—and how to fix it.

Also? This isn’t magic. It’s a skill. One you can absolutely learn. And honestly, if you want to write more than one book (and let’s hope you do), you’re going to need this tool in your belt.

Key Self-Editing Skills

Structure

Story structure is your framework. It doesn’t have to be rigid or formulaic, but it should be intentional. Look at:

• Your major turning points (inciting incident, midpoint, climax)

• How scenes build (and escalate) momentum or tension

• Whether each chapter earns its spot; what is its function in the book?

If your story drifts, this is usually where the leaks are.

Character Arcs

A character wants something. They go after it. Things get in the way. They change.

If that’s not happening, your character might just be a personality walking in circles. Ask:

• What do they want?

• Why now?

• How does the journey change them?

• Do their choices matter?

Real growth often means real mess.

Pacing

Pacing is about rhythm—how fast or slow the story feels. It’s not about constant action. It’s about when you zoom in, when you zoom out, and when to let things breathe.

Check for scenes that stall. Cut anything that feels like filler. Let quiet moments stay quiet, but only if they’re carrying emotional weight/emotional tension.

Theme

Theme is what your story is really about. It doesn’t have to be something grand, but it should be consistent. If your novel keeps circling ideas about trust, or identity, or the fear of being seen—lean into that.

Don’t force it. Just notice it. Shape around it.

Practical Tools to Help You Get There

Reverse Outlining

Once your draft is done, outline it backwards. Scene by scene, paragraph by paragraph, jot down what’s actually happening. You’ll see instantly where things drift, repeat, or vanish.

Scene Checkups

Ask every scene:

• What changes in this scene?

• What does the reader learn?

• Is this doing something new—or rehashing something old?

If you can’t answer clearly, the scene might be dragging its feet.

Character Work

Skip the personality quizzes. Focus on:

• What haunts them

• What they’d lie about

• What they don’t say out loud

• What they learn (and what they never do)

Use that to deepen how they move through the story.

Beta Readers, Not Just Cheerleaders

Find readers who love the kind of stuff you write—and who’ll tell you when something’s not landing. Give them a few questions to answer. Don’t expect them to fix your plot holes, but do listen for where they stumble.

Helpful Resources

Software (if you must)

• ProWritingAid: Especially useful for beginners, for pacing, readability, and repetition

• Fictionary: Scene-by-scene structural help if you like a visual approach

Books

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers – Clear, honest, and practical

• Story Engineering – A deeper look at what makes structure tick

• The Emotional Craft of Fiction – Excellent for elevating character and theme

When to Bring in a Pro

If you’ve revised your novel so many times it starts looking like just words on a page, or you’re getting the same vague feedback over and over, a developmental editor might be the next step.

Just make sure you’ve done your own deep work first. Editors can help you see what’s not working, but they can’t save a story that hasn’t been written yet.

Final Thoughts

Being your own developmental editor won’t just make your manuscript better. It’ll make you better. Better at seeing story, at handling structure, at revising with purpose. These aren’t side skills—they’re part of the job.

And the more you build them, the less likely you’ll be to get stuck waiting on someone else to shape your work into something publishable. You’ll already know how to do it yourself.

You’re the carpenter. Pick up the hammer.