Crafting Love Stories for Fall Flames Anthology

As I work on my stories for upcoming anthology Fall Flames, I’ve developed a structured approach to editing my short love stories. My goal is to create emotionally resonant narratives with engaging characters and well-developed plots. I thought I’d share my workflow and some of the techniques I use during the self-developmental editing process.

1. Initial Outlining and Brainstorming

The first step in my process is to outline the story in one sitting. I approach this as a stream of consciousness exercise where I jot down everything that comes to mind, which can include plot ideas, character traits, themes, and even specific lines of dialogue. This initial outline is messy, but it serves as a “brain dump” that helps me get all my ideas down on paper.

Once my mind goes blank and I feel I’ve exhausted all initial thoughts, I begin shaping the information I’ve written. While I’m writing, I don’t worry about organization or coherence; my only goal is to get everything out. By the end of this phase, I typically have a strong sense of where I want the story to go and a foundation to build upon in the next stages.

2. First Developmental Edit: Story Structure and Chronology

Next, I conduct my first round of developmental editing. This step involves taking my raw outline and organizing it into a coherent story structure. I make sure that each story has a clear introduction, an inciting incident, rising action, a climax, and a resolution. During this phase, I’m mainly concerned with the chronology of events and the overall pacing.

In this round, I’ll also start shaping the plot more intentionally. If any sections feel out of place or unrelated to the main story, I make adjustments to ensure each part serves the narrative. Once I have a firm structure, I move on to my first rewrite, transforming my outline into a draft with a more cohesive narrative flow.

3. Second Developmental Edit: Deepening Character Development

After the structural elements are in place, I delve deeper into my characters. During this second round of developmental editing, I focus on exploring the backstories, motivations, and desires of each character. I ask myself:

• What drives this character?
• What obstacles do they face in achieving their goals?
• How do they grow or change by the end of the story?

For this part of the process, I sometimes use character interviews, which help me uncover details about their personalities and objectives that I may not have considered initially. Knowing my characters on a deeper level allows me to create more compelling character arcs, and it helps me make sure their actions feel authentic.

4. Third Developmental Edit: Fine-Tuning Dialogue and Emotion

With the characters more fully developed, I move on to my third developmental edit, where I focus on dialogue, emotional balance, and the romantic elements of the story. My aim is to ensure that:

• The dialogue sounds natural and is unique to each character.
• The emotional journey is clearly conveyed and well-paced.
• There’s a good balance between action and introspection.
• The level of romantic interaction feels authentic and engaging.

I also pay attention to the balance between external and internal conflicts. For example, in stories where the small-town setting acts as a character or obstacle, I make sure that the characters' interactions with the community reflect the tension or harmony that setting brings.

5. Line Editing with Feedback

After completing my three rounds of developmental editing, I start line editing. Here, I’m fine-tuning word choice, sentence structure, and pacing to make the story flow better. At this point, I usually share my work with a critique group and my line editor. They help catch anything I might have missed and provide feedback on the following:

• Plot coherence and character arc clarity.
• World-building and thematic consistency.
• Areas where the dialogue or romance might feel unrealistic.

I prioritize feedback from my critique partners, especially if multiple readers comment on the same area. This feedback often points out any issues I may have missed in earlier editing rounds, like scenes that lack emotional depth or sections of dialogue that feel forced.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

The biggest challenge for me is finding the right balance in romantic scenes. Sometimes it’s difficult to judge whether the level of flirtation and intimacy is too high or too low. On the other hand, focusing on the story’s theme comes more naturally to me, so I often start with a clear thematic direction.

Writing in bulk helps me stay efficient and see my stories with fresh eyes. I tackle the same editing round across multiple stories, which allows me to detach emotionally from each one. This approach also gives me the chance to spot recurring issues that may need my attention, whether it's improving dialogue consistency or adjusting pacing.

Ongoing Learning and Observations

I’m always learning new techniques by reading other authors’ works, watching courses on story editing, and noting insights that can help me look at my own work more critically. I’ve found that examining others’ editing styles helps me adapt my own and ensures I approach each new round with fresh ideas.

In my experience, the most important elements to get right during self-developmental editing are the story structure and character goals. I’ve come to rely on character interviews and observations from everyday life to help me create realistic and relatable characters. By the time I finish with my own self-editing rounds, I feel confident my stories are ready for external feedback, knowing I’ve covered all aspects from plot coherence to character development and beyond.

Final Thoughts

Self-developmental editing is a time-consuming process, but it’s one I truly enjoy. It allows me to shape my stories in a way that’s meaningful, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see my characters and plots grow with each editing round. I hope sharing my workflow inspires others to dive deeper into their own stories and discover new ways to bring them to life.