On Demand Workshop

2-Hour Workshop: How to Edit Your Fiction Novel like a Pro

Taught by Big 5 Editor Ruqayyah Daud!

This workshop will equip you with strategies to perform big-picture developmental edits on your manuscript.

Ruqayyah Daud, Little Brown editor of best-selling books (including current #1 NYT Bestseller IMMORTAL DARK), will guide you through expert editing techniques to help you refine your story and prepare it for agent submission.

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You have an amazing story…
but is it agent-ready?

What is the #1 thing agents and publishers are looking for?

A book that they can’t put down.

This doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t even happen through having incredible prose. It happens on a structural level–through meticulously planning your novel using tried-and-true methods.

In this 2-hour workshop, Little Brown editor Ruqayyah Daud will walk you through the exact techniques she uses to edit bestselling novels.

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By the end of this workshop, you'll Know…

  • How to shift perspectives from writer to editor and evaluate your own manuscript through an editorial lens.

  • How to identify and address structural weaknesses in your manuscript, from plot holes to pacing issues.

  • Proven strategies (with examples!) for sharpening your characters, Pacing, and stakes for a more cohesive, readable narrative.

  • & You’ll Leave the Class with a Free Copy of our novel Editing Workbook

Frequently asked questions

Feel free to email me at any time with additional questions!

  • In this workshop, we will be focusing on big-picture developmental edits, specifically looking at major aspects like plot, stakes, pacing, and character development. These big-picture edits should always be your first priority because if the structure and core elements of your story don’t work, no amount of sentence-level polish will fix it.

    We’ll talk about why tackling these big-picture issues first is crucial, and you'll walk away with strategies to strengthen your manuscript before diving into line or copy edits. By ensuring your story’s foundation is solid, you set yourself up for success when it’s time for finer edits.

  • Developmental, line, and copy edits each serve different purposes in the revision process:

    • Developmental Edits focus on the big picture of your story. These edits evaluate things like plot structure, pacing, character development, world-building, and overall narrative flow. Developmental editing helps you strengthen the core elements of your story, ensuring it has a solid foundation that engages readers from beginning to end.

    • Line Edits are about refining your writing style and sentence structure. This type of editing dives into how your story is told at the sentence and paragraph level, improving clarity, tone, and flow, but without changing the fundamental content.

    • Copy Edits focus on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and consistency. This stage is all about the technical side of your writing, making sure the manuscript is polished and error-free before it’s published.

What Writers Are Saying

Ready to get your story out into the world?

Let’s sharpen your editorial skills and help your manuscript shine for agents.

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