Common Developmental Editing Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Developmental editing is one of the most transformative stages in the writing process. It focuses on the broader elements of a manuscript, such as structure, plot, pacing, character development, and themes. However, as writers work to hone their stories, they often encounter pitfalls that can hinder their progress. Recognizing these common challenges and knowing how to avoid them will help you sharpen your manuscript and achieve the clarity and depth your readers expect.
1. Weak Character Development
Characters are the heart of any good story. If the characters feel flat or underdeveloped, readers won’t form an emotional connection with them. This can make even the most intriguing plots feel empty. Characters need depth, motivation, and personal growth to drive the narrative forward.
How to Avoid It:
Develop multi-dimensional characters: Every character should have a clear backstory, distinct personality traits, personal desires, and a clear internal conflict. Think about their fears, regrets, and motivations.
Avoid cardboard cutouts: Stereotypical characters (the evil stepmother, the brooding hero) can lead to predictability. Even if you start with familiar archetypes, give them complexity.
Use dialogue and actions to reveal character: Instead of simply describing a character’s traits, let their actions, body language, and dialogue reveal who they are. For example, a shy character might fidget or avoid eye contact in social situations.
Character arc: Ensure that your character grows or changes throughout the story. Their journey should be meaningful and relevant to the plot. A static character can make the story feel predictable and stagnant.
Editor’s Role: A developmental editor will help identify where characters lack depth or feel inconsistent. They’ll suggest ways to deepen motivations, clarify backstories, or develop arcs more fully.
2. Inconsistent Point of View
Point of view (POV) is a powerful tool, but it can also be a stumbling block if mismanaged. Shifting between points of view without a clear purpose can confuse the reader, disrupt pacing, and diminish the emotional impact of scenes. Whether you're writing in first-person, third-person limited, or omniscient, maintaining a consistent POV is crucial to ensure clarity and engagement.
How to Avoid It:
Stick to one POV per scene: Decide on the POV early and maintain consistency within a scene. If you need to change POV, do so with clear transitions (e.g., chapter breaks, section breaks, or clear shifts in narrative focus).
Choose the right POV for your story: The POV should align with the type of story you're telling. A first-person perspective can create intimacy and deep internal insights, while a third-person limited perspective offers broader flexibility.
Maintain emotional clarity: Shifting POV can sometimes dilute emotional resonance, especially if you’re jumping back and forth between too many characters’ inner worlds. Make sure each shift serves a purpose.
Editor’s Role: Editors can help you identify when POV shifts confuse the narrative or disrupt reader engagement. They can suggest whether switching perspectives is beneficial or if consistency is needed for clarity.
3. Overuse of Passive Voice
While passive voice has its place in certain narrative situations, overusing it can make your writing feel weak, distant, and unengaging. Passive constructions can dilute the immediacy of your sentences, leaving readers disconnected from the action and the characters.
How to Avoid It:
Prefer active voice: Active voice creates a sense of immediacy and involvement. For example, "The monster chased them" is more immediate and engaging than "They were chased by the monster."
Cut unnecessary passive constructions: Passive voice often creeps into sentences when you’re not paying attention. Phrases like "was done," "is believed," and "could be seen" can be eliminated in favor of stronger, more direct action.
Revise sentences to add energy: Active voice is more dynamic and adds power to your writing. Even when you need to include some passivity, make sure to balance it with active constructions to maintain readability and energy.
Editor’s Role: Editors will help you spot passive voice usage that weakens the writing. They’ll suggest ways to revise and tighten your sentences for a more active, compelling tone.
4. Clunky Pacing
Pacing refers to the speed and rhythm of the narrative. Effective pacing ensures that the story unfolds at an appropriate rate, maintaining the reader's interest throughout. Too much action, or conversely, too much introspection, can make the story feel either too fast or too slow.
How to Avoid It:
Balance action and reflection: Fast-paced action scenes should be followed by moments of reflection or quieter character development. These slower moments help to deepen emotional resonance and give readers a chance to digest the action.
Use cliffhangers and tension: You can build anticipation by leaving questions unanswered or introducing new conflicts. This can sustain momentum and keep readers turning the page.
Scene and chapter breaks: Consider how long each scene or chapter is. Is it too long, causing fatigue for the reader, or too short, leaving them with little time to connect with the events?
Editor’s Role: A developmental editor will help evaluate your pacing, flagging areas that drag or rush. They’ll offer suggestions on how to tighten the narrative, improve flow, and balance action with emotional depth.
5. Unfocused Plot
A disjointed or meandering plot can leave readers confused and disengaged. If the narrative doesn’t have a clear direction or central conflict, the story can feel like it’s wandering aimlessly. Focus is key to keeping the reader invested.
How to Avoid It:
Identify your central conflict: From the beginning, clarify what the story is truly about. What do your characters want, and what’s standing in their way?
Streamline subplots: While subplots add depth, they should tie back to the main plot or character arc. Avoid detours that don’t contribute to the central conflict.
Clear stakes: The reader should always know why the events unfolding matter. What’s at risk, and why is it important? High stakes drive engagement and motivate the characters to act.
Editor’s Role: Editors will help assess whether the plot is focused and cohesive. They’ll suggest ways to tighten the narrative and identify areas where the plot may wander off course.
6. Excessive Exposition
Exposition is necessary to explain backstory, world-building, and character motivations, but when it’s overdone, it can slow down the narrative. Long info dumps can lead to a loss of tension and reduce emotional engagement.
How to Avoid It:
Weave exposition into the narrative: Instead of using long paragraphs of explanation, introduce information naturally through dialogue, actions, or character reflection.
Limit on-the-nose explanations: Don’t over-explain everything. Allow readers to piece together information through context, which keeps them engaged and invested in uncovering the details themselves.
Pacing and info distribution: Space out exposition to avoid overwhelming readers in any one section of the story.
Editor’s Role: A skilled editor will help you trim or reframe exposition-heavy sections, suggesting ways to integrate necessary information seamlessly into the plot.
7. Lack of Thematic Consistency
A story without a clear theme or overarching message can feel shallow or disconnected. Themes provide layers of meaning and emotional depth, allowing readers to engage more fully with the narrative.
How to Avoid It:
Identify your themes early: From the outset, think about the central ideas you want your story to explore. Are you discussing morality, identity, sacrifice, love, or revenge?
Weave the theme into the plot and characters: Let the theme manifest naturally through the characters’ choices, their arcs, and the consequences of their actions.
Be subtle: Themes should be woven into the story without being hammered home. Let the story show, rather than tell, the message you want to convey.
Editor’s Role: Editors can help identify where the theme may feel underdeveloped or inconsistent, offering suggestions to ensure it resonates throughout the story.
8. Overuse of Clichés
Clichés are predictable and often fail to surprise or engage readers. Relying too heavily on them can make your writing feel formulaic or unoriginal. While some clichés can be used effectively, writers should aim to breathe fresh life into their work.
How to Avoid It:
Avoid overused tropes: Consider whether a character, plot element, or scene feels too familiar. If it does, think about how to twist it in a new direction.
Develop your own voice: Clichés often emerge when writers rely too much on standard language. Cultivate your unique voice and experiment with fresh metaphors, descriptions, and situations.
Subvert clichés: If you do use familiar elements, subvert them. For example, if your hero is a “reluctant leader,” don’t follow the same predictable path as similar characters—give them more complexity and depth.
Editor’s Role: Editors will pinpoint moments where clichés appear and work with you to find more inventive ways to approach them, ensuring your story feels fresh and original.
9. Failure to Cut Unnecessary Material
Sometimes, writers become too attached to parts of their manuscript, even when they no longer serve the story. Excessive description, extraneous subplots, or tangents can dilute the narrative and distract from the main arc.
How to Avoid It:
Be willing to cut: Look at each scene and question its relevance. Does it advance the plot, deepen character development, or heighten tension? If not, consider cutting or revising it.
Review scenes with fresh eyes: After stepping away from the manuscript, come back with a more objective mindset. Are there parts that now seem redundant or unnecessary?
Focus on essentials: Every element in your story should serve a purpose—whether it's advancing the plot, revealing something important about the characters, or enriching the theme.
Editor’s Role: Developmental editors excel at spotting unnecessary material and guiding you in making cuts that improve pacing, focus, and overall narrative clarity.
Conclusion:
Being mindful of common developmental editing pitfalls—and knowing how to avoid them—can significantly improve your manuscript and elevate it from a rough draft to a polished, professional work. By working with a skilled developmental editor, you’ll ensure that your story flows seamlessly, your characters resonate with readers, and the narrative remains engaging from beginning to end. Ultimately, developmental editing is about strengthening the foundation of your story, refining your writing, and ensuring that every element serves a purpose. Check out our Developmental Editing service.
