Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory by Sophie Playle—Course Review
- Andy J. Hodges
- Feb 12
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 13
Disclosure: I received free access to this course for review purposes. This post includes two links: one is an affiliate link (which means I may earn a commission if you enroll, at no extra cost to you), and the other is a non-affiliate link. Feel free to use whichever you prefer. This review reflects my honest assessment of the course. Sophie has been running this course in taught and self-paced versions for a decade. I’m an experienced fiction developmental editor who originally trained with another provider (Club Ed).
Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory—Course Review
Each teacher brings a fresh approach and perspective to a course on any given topic. This is why I was excited to take Sophie Playle’s course in fiction theory (Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory), having previously trained with other providers.
This is a review of the self-paced version, and there is a tutored version available from time to time too.
The Course Structure
The first module is all about skills, role, and mindset. This is particularly useful for newer editors, but I especially appreciated the discussion of reading speed and reading fast, which was new to me. There were some fun exercises on reading analytically too, including one based on The Catcher in the Rye.
The second module covers common basic manuscript issues, and I was nodding my head a lot as I read through this—topics such as poor beginnings, weak novel premises, unclear genre, pacing, story resolution were covered.
Module three was all about plot and story, and it included some fresh arguments I hadn’t heard elsewhere.
It also got me thinking about subplots in my own writing.
Module four was on character and dialogue, and covered common problems with character (too many characters, too many POV characters, pantomime villains, etc.).
The fifth module covered point of view and narrative technique, and the sixth module focused on style, theme, and voice—touching on themes that line editors will also consider.
Finally, there was a bonus module on how to handle novels in a series.
Modules three and six were my favorites, and the discussion of point of view in module five was much more accessible than in some of the other courses I’ve taken.
What I Liked
Most of all, I liked the level and tone at which this course was pitched. It wasn’t gimmicky in the way that some courses and books on storycraft can be (looking at you, Save the Cat!). And it wasn’t academically obfuscating, either (that is, it didn’t use academic words like “narratology” and “focalization” that lit crit theorists may use).
It felt to me like an accessible halfway house between an academic and commercial tone, in a way that was not intimidating—and I believe this neatly aligns with the mixture of genre fiction and literary fiction examples, which was a good fit for my interests too.
For example, Sophie discussed the idea of the “death of the author” and what that might mean for editors. I also appreciated the bonus analytical readings of extracts from classic novels—and learned that Animals of Farthing Wood is actually a retelling of Watership Down! (Kudos if you got the UK 1990s children’s TV reference.)
As I said, the course covered the basics, but there were also presentations of topics (especially Sophie’s discussion of plot as curation, and the discussion of themes) that were new to me. These helped me out as both a fiction developmental editor and a fiction writer.
One advantage over Club Ed (where students receive written text and exercises to consider) is that this course suits people who like to receive information in multiple formats: Sophie has filmed short videos discussing the key theory points too.
In short, I think people new to fiction developmental editing will gain three major benefits from this course:
The first (and most important for starting out as a developmental editor) is that they will learn and start to feel comfortable using and applying fiction-craft theory terms in the work, editorial letters to clients, blog posts, etc.
The second (also very important throughout their whole career) is that the course will teach them how to read a text analytically.
The third is that they will learn a critical perspective on fiction craft that they can then compare with other perspectives later on.
Sophie makes arguments about fiction craft theory that other theorists and course providers might disagree with. And this, I believe, is what distinguishes a well-developed course from the many educational products available to small business owners.
Analytical thinking about story is absolutely crucial to becoming a fiction developmental editor—after all, millions of people read stories every day, but they don’t start to become a better developmental editor of stories until they switch on that analytical approach to stories as they read.
So if that fire can be stoked, then this is a course that will continue to give years after completing it (and it might also make you an annoying partner or friend as you dissect the plot of TV shows each night).
What Was Missing
Overall, the course is an excellent introduction. The main area I felt was underrepresented was setting and worldbuilding. Setting in particular is often an area novelists pay the least amount of attention to, but along with plot and character, it’s one of the three pillars of story, and I would have liked some thoughts and arguments on where setting can go wrong in stories. I’ve taken other courses that cover this ground.
In the bonus module on series, I would have liked some comments on duologies, as these have become a significant market trend in recent years.
But overall, these were minor quibbles.
Does This Course Suit Experienced Fiction Developmental Editors?
Lots of entry-level courses exist—because that is the largest part of the market for courses. The same applies to all kinds of editing and proofreading. It can be trickier for experienced editors to find appropriate CPD. The best courses that also have a large viable market are courses that can offer developmental editors something at different stages of their career.
Reason three is the most important here:
“Participants will learn a critical perspective on fiction craft that they can then compare with other perspectives later on.”
I’d wholeheartedly say that yes, this course in particular suits experienced developmental editors as well (the course on developmental editing in practice, somewhat less so, as experienced developmental editors usually have a workflow that suits them, although it doesn’t hurt to compare and contrast there either.)
In the freelance space, we build out our careers and skill-up by ourselves. The most advanced feedback I received on a dev edit was a review of my dev edits of a complete manuscript on the Club Ed advanced course. After that (which is very time intensive), the most important thing is to be in community with other developmental editors and to top up our training with excellent courses like this.