A beat-by-beat assessment of your story.
The structural edit assesses the story-to-scene level organization of the big-picture ideas. It is concerned with how form, genre, narrative structure, timeline, and pacing work together to draw the reader into the story and keep them there.
Do you need a structural edit?
This service is ideal if your story or a scene in your story feels too predictable. It is a perfect starting point when you aren’t sure what to reveal when, your readers are unsatisfied by the end, your story drags, or publishers say it doesn’t fit the genre.
What does a structural editor look for?
I assess form conventions, genre expectations, story structure, timeline, and pacing. Then, I evaluate how well they work together to engage the reader, maintain their interest, and satisfy their expectations.
- Form Conventions. Short stories aren’t just stories that are short. I look at how you employ literary and narrative devices and evaluate their effectiveness in delivering your message within your word count.
- Genre Expectations. I outline genre expectations and assess how the story meets them. For missing elements and scenes, I suggest options for writing them in, implying, or subverting them.
- Story & Scene Structure. Surprises are important, but familiarity is essential for engagement. I help you find ways to meet reader expectations of story and scene structure without falling into formulaic patterns.
- Timeline. I check that the events of the story arrive at the time the reader is hungry for them and help you balance the physical timeline with pacing.
- Pacing. I gauge the speed the story moves for the reader and identify sections that lag or lose them.
Ready to get started?
Book a free consult. I’ll read your story, and we’ll discuss how I can help.
Authors’ Stories
Lisa provided thoughtful, specific, and helpful critical feedback on my writing. She has the ability to see directly to the heart of the work and provide suggestions that invariably lead to making for a better story. Her feedback on my manuscript was insightful and efficient; I accepted all of her recommendations and believe I have a much better book than I would have had without her input. Every author needs an editor, and every editor should be a Lisa!
Margie Taylor, author