Development editor for Short Story

donalh087

Hi, I am looking for a development editor / professional critic for my work.

I am an amateur and this is (and always will be) a hobby. I find it difficult to justify €225 to the Irish Writers Centre for someone to read a short story and I don't know what makes a good or bad editor.

So, in a nutshell, I am looking for a good editor/critic that isn't going to cost me a fortune. I have googled results but I am looking for personal recommendations. Any ideas?

TIA

Das Kitty

For a short story?

It's mostly books that you'd pay to get edited. I've never heard of someone getting a short story professionally edited by anyone other than a journal publisher after selection.

I've been writing short stories for some time, and reading them for much longer. I'd be happy to take a look and give you feedback for free.

donalh087

Thanks for that Kitty, will PM you. Development editors are far more of an American thing than a European afaik. But they seem to have quite an input at a higher level. I've hear people like Zadie Smith talk about working in New York and the much higher contribution editors have there rather than London. I find it an interesting idea (good and bad) that an 'outsider' would have such impact on my work.

I'm looking for input but I am also looking for an insider who will be able to say 'This is all wrong for The Stinging Fly but it is much more suited to The Little Brother'. That kind of thing. Am I making any sense?

EileenG

Strutural edits is a thing I'll often do for friends or people on Wattpad, but it's usually based on the synopsis. I'm looking at the structure of the novel, the plot, the character development, all that stuff. A short story is unlikly to need any of that.

Das Kitty

donalh087 wrote: »

Thanks for that Kitty, will PM you. Development editors are far more of an American thing than a European afaik. But they seem to have quite an input at a higher level. I've hear people like Zadie Smith talk about working in New York and the much higher contribution editors have there rather than London. I find it an interesting idea (good and bad) that an 'outsider' would have such impact on my work.

I'm looking for input but I am also looking for an insider who will be able to say 'This is all wrong for The Stinging Fly but it is much more suited to The Little Brother'. That kind of thing. Am I making any sense?

The best way to know where might be interested in your work, is to get your hands on the latest issues of the journals. Stinging Fly is going through an editorial change at the moment, so it might be difficult to say what the next editor will favour.

Short stories are slippy beasts, they don't necessarily follow structural norms.

donalh087

Das Kitty wrote: »

they don't necessarily follow structural norms.

And yet it's very easy to tell good ones from bad ones :-)

There is no doubt that Short Stories are more mercurial, a changed word here, a dropped sentence there and the mood changes completely. And that's what I'm looking for, someone with that sixth sense.

I need someone with the inside track too - like 6000 words is way too long / short for credible publishers, no one wants to hear stories about the Celtic Tiger anymore - whatever the current zeitgeist is.

So, assuming Das Kitty isn't Declan Meade in disguise, I'm looking for someone to tell be I am very close or it's time to take up golf.

Das Kitty

No luck there. Declan Meade hasn't liked anything I've ever sent him.

EileenG

6000 words is on the long side, you are limiting your market. 2000 words is the commeercial length. Most of the good competitions are around that length.

Do you want to send it to me?

donalh087

EileenG wrote: »

6000 words is on the long side, you are limiting your market. 2000 words is the commeercial length. Most of the good competitions are around that length.

Do you want to send it to me?

Love to - pm me your email. (Thanks).