Developmental Edit vs Coaching: Which Path is Right for Me?

First, a quick story. 

I’ve always dreamed of playing guitar. It just always looked so… cool. I briefly took lessons long ago on a borrowed instrument, and to say it wasn’t the best experience is putting it mildly. Week after week, I painfully worked through the standard Hal Leonard beginner guitar book, learning one note at a time, working my way up to Yankee Doodle and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. When we finally got to chords, I struggled to get them to ring out. My teacher told me my hands were likely too small to ever get good at it. And that was the end of my lessons.

But not the end of my yearning. After a surprise gift from my parents – a gorgeous Martin guitar – I promised myself I would try again. I bought teach-yourself guitar books, watched online videos, drew up practice schedules that I never kept. For years, I did this. And all I could show for it was a couple of weak chords.

Those haunting words, you don’t have the hands for it, rang out louder than my chords.

But it was a Martin. It’s practically a crime to leave such a beautiful instrument silent. So I signed up for lessons with a (new) guitar teacher, and held my breath.

On our first lesson, rather than dust off Yankee Doodle, she asked me what music I liked to listen to. What kind of songs I might want to learn. I threw out some favorite artists, wistfully. She grabbed on to one song – “Cannonball” by Brandi Carlile – and started drawing up the chord progression for it.

One by one, she showed me how to play each of the chords in the progression. When I couldn’t get the strings to ring out, and that old voice began to taunt me again, she just waved it off and said what mattered was that I learned the shapes. The sound would come with practice. Her confidence that I would get there gave me the confidence to keep trying till I got it.

Because I’d be seeing her again the following week, and because I was actually excited about the song, I practiced every day. By the end of my first week, I could play each of the chords. Slowly, and shakily, but I was able to (mostly) land my fingers in the right spots.

That was more progress that I’d made in months of lessons, the first time around.

Four weeks later, and I’m now playing along to Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.” I couldn’t be having more fun.

So, what does all this have to do with the question of development edit vs. coaching?

It’s all about how you learn best.

A developmental edit is a deep dive into the structure of your story, the architecture of it. It looks at all the elements of story –character, setting, plot, theme – and how they’re working, or not working, on the page. A developmental edit can uncover manuscript-wide structural problems, often tied to aspects of craft you still need to learn. That is the point, and the gift, of a developmental edit. It provides you with a map of what you need to do, and learn, to take your manuscript to the next level.

1:1 coaching is more like music lessons. You’ve decided to invest in learning what you need to learn to level-up your manuscript. You have regular deadlines, get direct feedback on your pages, and have regular coaching calls with someone who’s as invested in your story, your vision, and your development as a writer as you are. Rather than learning abstractly a class or a craft book, you’re hands-on learning and improving through your own work.

A developmental edit is a good option if you’re someone who likes to learn on their own. Who will take that map they get from their developmental editor and run with it. Sign up for classes, buy craft books. Whatever they need to improve their manuscript.

1:1 coaching is a good option if you’re someone who learns best with a guide. Someone who wants the structure and accountability of regular deadlines and calls where you get to ask questions about your work and celebrate the wins along the way. It also can be a good option if you’re struggling with confidence, self-doubt, and haunting voices that whisper things like, you’re not good enough. The confidence your coach has that you’ll get there can help you have confidence, too.

On the surface, a developmental edit can look like an easier, cheaper, quicker option. But it might not be in the end, if that’s not a good fit for how you learn. Coaching is a bigger investment up front, but it can save you money on classes and craft books, and it can save you time, helping you improve faster than you would have on your own.

I want you to spend your money wisely, too. And I’m happy to work with you, no matter what path you choose. Both are valid paths. Just ask yourself, how do you learn best? With a map, or with a guide?

With the guidance and encouragement of a pretty cool guitar teacher, I’ve made progress faster than I ever thought I could. And I’m more hopeful than ever that I just might learn how to play guitar, maybe even write a song someday. I’m busting through old hang-ups and doubts about my ability to play. And I’m having fun.

I learn best with a guide. Clearly. You’d think I’d know that about myself by now. But, hey. We’re all on a journey, aren’t we?

Still wondering which path is right for you? Schedule a discovery call with me and we’ll talk it out. It’s free! Sign up here: Schedule a Discovery Call

 Till next time…

 Happy writing!

 Erin