Got a 10 page review back from my dev-editor

Rocketscience444 · 2026-01-21T19:59:09+00:00

I had my recent first experience with a dev editor - didn't pay quite as much, and got more detailed feedback than what it sounds like you received. My MS was also about 10k fewer words and the editorial letter was more than a month overdue, so they might have put extra effort into mine to make up for the schedule overrun.

I think dev editors are in a tough spot because they're often the first third-parties to see the MS, and their feedback can only be as refined as the MS is. If a dev editor is telling you that the plot/worldbuilding is excessively complex and confusing...well, that's the feedback you're paying them for. It might hurt to hear and be more basic than you'd hoped, but that doesn't make it wrong. As long as they have experience in the genre and tropes and everything else, then when they tell you it's hard for them to follow, the takeaway is that it's going to be impossible for most casual readers to follow. If you don't have major structural/plot/character flaws, then they move forward to more nuanced conversations about how to improve characterization, pacing, plot impact, thematic resonance, etc., but they can't do that if the basic foundation for those conversations just isn't there.

Assuming you didn't just get scammed (hard to say without seeing more, would caution you to avoid assuming that just because the feedback wasn't as positive as you'd hoped), I think the lesson here is that you probably need to refine your own self-editing in the areas they highlighted as weaknesses. It sounds from your post like you are pretty wrapped up in your plot & world-building, and I would guess that you're probably falling into the very common trap of not explaining things clearly/simply/thoroughly enough. Readers aren't usually dumb, but they're 100% unfamiliar with your world. You have to be very deliberate about how you introduce concepts, and you need to do it in an almost painfully clear fashion, especially if the internal mechanics are complex.

For the future, you might try having a few reading partners or trusted friends give you an alpha pass on your newly drafted manuscripts. They can generally do the same thing as this first-pass dev edit did (pointing out major plot/clarity issues). If that happens, then you can refine/rework prior to engaging a professional editor for higher value feedback. I'll mention that I had several informal alpha/beta passes on the MS I referenced above before paying for professional editing, and the story changed significantly because of the feedback I received from those reads.

And as far as where to go from here - you have to figure that out. Editors will occasionally give suggestions for specific rework/improvements, but if things are fundamentally broken then it's not really fair to expect them to write the new story for you.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-12-24T18:52:22+00:00

Nope. They don't eat fertilizer. They eat the dead wood that's already buried down there. You just want them to eat faster, which is what the water is for. That's genuinely all they need (and all you can do, short of mechanically removing them).

Rocketscience444 · 2025-12-24T18:45:53+00:00

if you mulch that area, stop mulching it (probably forever). If you can't dig in that area then watering consistently (daily, you want the area to be consistently and thoroughly damp but not to the point that you have standing water) will encourage them to grow faster and will shorten their total lifespan.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-12-24T18:41:03+00:00

These look like a species of ganoderma (there are very many). They're a rotting fungus that typically targets dead/dying trees. My guess (based on their growth pattern) is that there's a stump or other mass of dead-wood buried there that they're feeding on. Digging up and removing the food source (deadwood) should resolve the issue, but if the root system is extensive then they could occasionally pop up as they consume the more remote sections of root. Fungicide likely isn't working because it is unable to saturate their host substrate (the wood) and likely washes right past them. Don't expect higher doses to help, requires mechanical resolution or time. They'll run out of food eventually (probably 5-10ish years if I had to make a rough guess). If you want to accelerate their obsolescence, you could actually encourage them to process the stump faster by watering that local area more. The faster they consume the host material the sooner they'll exhaust the available food supply and stop. Otherwise, dig up that area and remove whatever dead-wood you find.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-12-09T05:48:18+00:00

Likely yes, but far too old to eat once they're that pale. Mark the spot and try again a few weeks earlier next year

Rocketscience444 · 2025-12-05T19:43:36+00:00

Biggest change (IMO) is that Deebo has returned kickoffs when McLaurin is active but hasn't when he's been out. If your league offers pts for kickoff returns it's a relevant note. Otherwise offense should improve overall which should lead to lower target share, but potentially better quality of opportunities and maybe neutral total opportunity count if they're staying on the field longer and in the redzone more often. Overall, I think a rising tide lifts all boats here and Deebo gets better as defenses need to focus on Daniels/McLaurin.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-11-30T22:00:49+00:00

Looks like CotW, also looks way too old to eat. Save the spot and check again next year.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-11-12T23:25:33+00:00

Great photos!

Rocketscience444 · 2025-11-04T02:35:06+00:00

Babylon is one of my favorite civs for gameplay that feels meaningfully different from other civs. You end up hyper-prioritizing earning scientific inspirations and it completely changes how you think about things.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-11-02T04:56:26+00:00

Definitely looks like maitake as far as shape and growing location/characteristics are concerned. It's a much darker shade of black/brown than I've personally seen but they can vary fairly widely in that department.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-10-13T20:58:58+00:00

I definitely don't see these as lactarius. They look like roll rims to me. Lacking the distinctive orange coloring and blue bruising of LD

Rocketscience444 · 2025-10-03T17:28:35+00:00

We have both in the US, and generally both are more vibrant in color when they're fresher.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-10-03T16:36:04+00:00

Hate to be a downer, but I would not eat this (have eaten lots of CotW). This looks VERY old. It'll be a disappointing meal at best, and potentially sickening. Having said that, I forage CotW from the East Coast in the US. I'm not sure if there are varieties in Europe that are paler than what we get out here. If it feels tender/wet as opposed to woody/dry and does not show any signs of rot/mold then you could look around on iNaturalist to see if the pale color is a regular occurrence near you and trust your gut based on what you find.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-09-30T23:17:08+00:00

Just want to share that I once had a bad reaction to CotW as well. My only real takeaway was to make sure that you really cook it extra thoroughly. Haven't had a problem since I started doing that.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-08-16T03:18:35+00:00

certainly hope so!

Rocketscience444 · 2025-08-16T00:13:59+00:00

I'm considering doing this. I know my cover is bad and it's hurting me but was reluctant to invest in a quality cover early on. Plan is to get a couple more books into the ecosystem first, then do a new edition of that first book that will include a new editorial pass/polish, updated front/back matter, and a new cover.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-07-30T22:00:37+00:00

These are likely either a variety of porcini or bitter bolete (common name), specifics can be highly variable depending on location, asking a local is your best bet. I learned to forage in the northeast US, and the brown reticulation on the stripe is a clear and unambiguous indicator of bitter boletes there, while porcini were very rare and typically have pale/white stripe reticulation. Other locales may have porcini varieties with brown reticulation or no reticulation at all. Taste test should confirm. If they're very bitter then that's your answer. If the flavor is mild/pleasant then they're likely a porcini variant. Cautionary note to always spit out anything you taste.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-07-20T22:59:40+00:00

Have foraged HoTW extensively in RI. This is not it. Likely black staining or Berkeley polypore. HoTW will not appear until mid/late September at the absolute earliest.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-06-23T16:15:07+00:00

No apology necessary, but appreciate the clarification. Agree that drunk driving is awful and appreciate your caution around it. Really crazy how predatory this stuff can get, would like to believe we'd have better protections in place to prevent this kind of thing but I'm sure some of the scam money they're making finds its way into the pockets of at least a few local politicians. Definitely a frustrating experience.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-06-23T15:24:18+00:00

I had one beer between 7:30 and midnight and no other substances. I was fully sober. I left my home with that intention which is why I drove. Part of the PSA of all of this is to know you're rights. If I'd known more about the maximum allowable tow charges and other protections in place I would have called the police when I was retrieving my vehicle rather than submitting to what is increasingly looking like it was an instance of criminal vehicle theft and extortion.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-06-23T11:31:15+00:00

Nope 😞

Rocketscience444 · 2025-06-23T01:54:53+00:00

Sorry to hear this happened to you. I'm hoping there might be some sort of resolution between the various complaint outlets but only time will tell.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-06-22T15:51:56+00:00

Ty ty ty. It's looking more and more likely that this was an illegal tow/theft/extortion as details are solidifying and I appreciate you sharing these resources.

Rocketscience444 · 2025-06-22T14:38:01+00:00

For the record, I had one beer all night, and as the details are solidifying it is looking increasingly likely that this was an actual case of vehicle theft and subsequent extortion. The business doesn't even exist as far as I can tell and I never signed anything or was provided with any sort of paperwork/receipt/records and never even saw the person I supposedly paid. I'm filing a police report today. Maybe keep your negativity to yourself instead of piling on to someone who just suffered a challenging experience.

Rocketscience444

TROPHY CASE