Continuity Editing - Price after Consultation

$0.00

Continuity Editing generally comes after Developmental or Structural Editing; can come before, during, or after Beta Reading; and before or after Content or Line Editing. For a single book, it should always come before Formatting and Proofreading, which should be your last steps.


Continuity Editing is more about tracking than actual editing. As a continuity editor, my job is to make sure all the little details of your character and story are consistent throughout. This includes things like character traits (left-handed, favorite food, birthmark placement), timelines and timing (did the characters meet up on a Tuesday, or was it yesterday?), location awareness (How long does it take to get from Town A to City B? Wasn’t that character just sitting at the bar?), just to name a few. These details can be especially daunting to keep track of:

  • With multiple books within a series,

  • With multiple stories in the same world,

  • With a large stable of characters,

  • If you’ve made major changes between drafts,

  • If you write non-chronologically,

  • Or when you’ve taken long breaks in your writing.


Let me help you keep the details straight!

Continuity Editing generally comes after Developmental or Structural Editing; can come before, during, or after Beta Reading; and before or after Content or Line Editing. For a single book, it should always come before Formatting and Proofreading, which should be your last steps.


Continuity Editing is more about tracking than actual editing. As a continuity editor, my job is to make sure all the little details of your character and story are consistent throughout. This includes things like character traits (left-handed, favorite food, birthmark placement), timelines and timing (did the characters meet up on a Tuesday, or was it yesterday?), location awareness (How long does it take to get from Town A to City B? Wasn’t that character just sitting at the bar?), just to name a few. These details can be especially daunting to keep track of:

  • With multiple books within a series,

  • With multiple stories in the same world,

  • With a large stable of characters,

  • If you’ve made major changes between drafts,

  • If you write non-chronologically,

  • Or when you’ve taken long breaks in your writing.


Let me help you keep the details straight!

With this service, you’ll get a detailed document including, but not limited to:

  • A Dramatis Personae

    • A list of every named character and how they relate to other characters

    • Add-on Feature: Pedigree/Family tree diagram (charged per family up to 4 generations, including the focal character)

  • A profile page for all major characters, which may include the following - great for artist commissions!

    • Physical traits (ex. eye color, hair color, specific or relative height, etc.)

    • Personality traits (ex. smart, funny, observant, rude, sarcastic, etc.)

    • Favorites and demographic information (ex. birthday, favorite color, etc.)

    • Catchphrases, habits, tics (ex. bites their lip when nervous, calls people ‘Broski’ unironically)

    • Skills and Hobbies (either mentioned or demonstrated)

    • Backstory (ex. born in Kentucky, then moved to Mordor at age 5; three brothers - Larry (older - 1 year), Curly (younger twin - 2 minutes), and Moe (adopted - unknown age))

    • Strong opinions about events, places, or other characters

  • A Settings and Locations page, which may include:

    • A list of any named locations (stores, towns, continents) or significant settings (Jill’s apartment) and notable descriptions

    • Any notable characteristics - (e.g., run down, red-brick, eight stories high, five miles west of town, run by Old MacDonald)

    • General location within a larger area (downtown or ‘In the north’)

    • For settlements, notable features or industry (e.g., capital city, built on a grid, home of Chocolate Fondue)

    • Any major-character relations to a place (birthplace, hometown, family vacations, etc.)

    • Distance between other locations, including any mentioned or implied travel times

  • Notes on any time these things are contradicted

    • Generally, I stick to the first description as the correct one

    • Minor contradictions and blocking notes (where a character is in a scene) are generally left as comments/margin corrections

    • If there are major inconsistencies, I may provide an extra documentation page focused on the issue


Continuity Editing requires a very detailed and focused read. The general turnaround time for this is about 7-10 days per book/work, depending on my queue and backlog. The larger and more social your cast, the more places they go/have been, and the longer your work(s), the more time this can take. If you have more than one book or work to compare, please bring those details to your consultation or email admin@behindthemagic.net.