In ecology, allelopathy describes a plant that chemically suppresses the growth of its neighbors. In manuscript terms, narrative allelopathy is what happens when one story element — usually an overdeveloped subplot, a scene-stealing secondary character, or a heavy-handed theme — draws so much energy that surrounding elements can't thrive. The suppressor often looks healthy. The casualties are what give it away.

See also: Resource Competition, Top-Heavy Tree

The trajectory of change — for a character, a relationship, a subplot, or the whole story — from beginning to end. A healthy arc isn't just movement from Point A to Point B; it's meaningful movement, driven by pressure from the root system and visible in the canopy. Flat arcs (no change) and false arcs (apparent change with no root cause) are among the most common issues I see in developmental work.

See also: Canopy, Roots, Character Development

The uppermost layer of the Story Tree Framework™ — the elements readers experience most directly on the page. This is what draws a reader in: the prose, the characters, the way the story sounds and feels in real time. A lush canopy is seductive. But canopy health depends entirely on what's happening below it. Beautiful prose and compelling characters wilt when the trunk or roots are compromised. If your canopy is struggling, I always look down before I look up.

See also: Roots, Trunk, Story Tree Framework™

One of the foundational elements in the Story Tree Framework™, living in the root layer. Conflict isn't just argument or action; it's the generative pressure that drives the entire story organism forward. Weak conflict at the root level means thin character arcs, low stakes, and pacing that stalls no matter how much surface-level tension you add. You can't fertilize your way out of a bad root system. Conflict is one of the elements I look at first — and fix last, because everything else builds from it.

See also: Roots, Pressure/Response, Energy Flow

The editorial pass focused on correctness at the sentence level: grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency, and adherence to style guides (Chicago, AP, house style). Copyediting happens after the story itself is structurally sound — it's the pruning and tidying pass, not the systems diagnosis. Trying to copyedit a manuscript with root problems is like polishing fruit on a drought-stressed tree.

See also: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Proofreading

The deepest level of editorial work, focused on story architecture: structure, pacing, character, plot logic, thematic coherence, and the dynamic relationships between story elements. A developmental editor doesn't fix your sentences — they help you understand and restore the whole system. Through the lens of Narrative Ecology™, developmental editing is ecological restoration: assessing what's thriving, what's depleted, and what needs to be restructured so the whole story can function at its potential.

See also: Line Editing, Narrative Ecology™, Story Ecosystem Assessment™

Just as perennials go dormant to survive conditions that would kill them in active growth, manuscripts often need a rest period. Dormancy isn't failure — it's a necessary part of the revision cycle. Pushing a draft through continuous, intensive revision without rest depletes the writer's ability to see the system clearly. I often recommend stepping away before a final pass. The story doesn't stall. It's gathering resources.

One of the core diagnostic patterns in the Story Tree Framework™. A drought-stressed story isn't broken in any one obvious place — everything is technically present and functional. But nothing is thriving. Energy is spread too thin across too many elements, none of which receives enough investment to become compelling. The diagnosis: focus. Fewer elements, developed more deeply. A drought-stressed tree needs concentrated water, not a light mist everywhere.

See also: Resource Competition, Broken Trunk, Top-Heavy Tree, Root-Bound Tree

The revision process, reframed. Rather than fixing isolated problems, ecological restoration means identifying what the whole system needs to return to dynamic balance — which elements are depleted, which are overgrown, where flow is blocked, and in what order interventions will be most effective. The goal isn't a perfect manuscript; it's a functional one, where every element is earning its place and supporting the system around it.

See also: Narrative Ecology™, Story Ecosystem Assessment™, Energy Flow

One of the core diagnostic concepts in Narrative Ecology™. Energy in a story system is the momentum, tension, and emotional investment that keeps readers turning pages. Like water moving through a tree — from roots through trunk to canopy — story energy needs a clear path upward. When energy pools (pacing drags), stalls (plot loses direction), or evaporates (reader disengages), the issue is usually in how the layers are or aren't connected. I trace energy flow before recommending any revision.

See also: Trunk, Pressure/Response, Broken Trunk

The editorial pass focused on prose quality at the sentence and paragraph level: clarity, rhythm, word choice, voice consistency, and the flow between ideas. Line editing is not copyediting (correctness) and not developmental editing (structure) — it's the craft layer between them. Think of it as canopy care: shaping the growth, removing what's crowding the light, helping the most vital elements flourish. Best done when the story's root and trunk systems are already healthy.

See also: Copyediting, Developmental Editing, Canopy

A read-through and written analysis of a manuscript's strengths and key issues, without in-text markup. At Red Leaf Word Services, manuscript evaluations come in two tiers: the Quick Diagnostic(top three priority issues) and the Story Ecosystem Assessment™(comprehensive ecological analysis). Both are whole-system diagnoses — identifying the root causes of what isn't working, not just cataloguing symptoms.

See also: Story Ecosystem Assessment™, Quick Diagnostic, Developmental Editing

The methodology at the heart of Red Leaf Word Services. Narrative Ecology is the study of how story elements function as an interconnected living system — where change in one element creates ripple effects throughout the whole manuscript. Rooted in 25+ years of horticultural expertise, this approach treats stories not as checklists of craft techniques but as dynamic organisms: responsive to pressure, shaped by resource availability, and capable of restoration when the whole system is understood. It's how I analyze every manuscript I touch.

See also: Story Tree Framework™, Story Ecosystem Assessment™, Energy Flow

The professional identity and content brand of Aime Sund / Red Leaf Word Services. The name reflects a genuine dual expertise: horticulture and editorial craft, applied together. A gardener doesn't just tend what's visible — she works with roots, soil, climate, and the long arc of growth. That's the editorial philosophy here. Find the Narrative Gardener on Substack for essays on story craft through an ecological lens.

A core ecological concept applied to story analysis. In a healthy ecosystem, organisms respond to environmental pressure — they adapt, grow, compete, or die. In a healthy story, characters and situations respond to narrative pressure in kind. When a character doesn't change despite significant conflict, or when plot events don't generate meaningful consequences, the pressure/response cycle is broken. This is one of the most reliable indicators that the root system needs attention.

See also: Conflict, Energy Flow, Arc

The final quality-control pass on a manuscript, catching remaining typos, inconsistencies, formatting errors, and anything that slipped through earlier editorial stages. Proofreading is not editing — it assumes the story is finished and the prose is polished. Think of it as a final inspection before the fruit reaches the market: you're not pruning or fertilizing at this stage. You're just making sure nothing went wrong in transport.

See also: Copyediting, Line Editing

A manuscript evaluation service at Red Leaf Word Services. A full ecological read of your manuscript followed by a written assessment identifying the three highest-priority issues — root causes, not surface symptoms — with clear guidance on where to focus your revision energy first. Ideal for authors who are stuck and need a trusted diagnosis without a full developmental edit. The same whole-system lens; a tighter, faster delivery.

See also: Story Ecosystem Assessment™, Manuscript Assessment, Developmental Editing

The freelance editorial practice of Aime Sund, offering developmental editing, line editing, manuscript evaluations, and copyediting for genre fiction authors (fantasy, romance, cozy mystery, historical fiction, and more) and nonfiction writers in horticulture and plant sciences. All services are delivered through the lens of Narrative Ecology™. Red leaves signal seasonal transition — the visible sign of a system preparing to transform.

See also: Narrative Ecology™, The Narrative Gardener

In ecology, resilience is a system's capacity to absorb disturbance and reorganize without losing its essential function. In manuscript terms, a resilient story can sustain significant revision — cuts, restructuring, major character shifts — without collapsing, because its core systems are deeply established. Fragile stories (those that fall apart when you pull one thread) usually lack root-level coherence: the foundational conflict, theme, and worldbuilding aren't fully integrated.

See also: Roots, Narrative Ecology™, Ecological Restoration

When multiple story elements compete for the same narrative resource — reader attention, emotional investment, page real estate, thematic resonance — without clear hierarchy or resolution, the system becomes stressed. A subplot that rivals the main plot for importance, two equally prominent POV characters with no clear lead, a theme and a counter-theme fighting for dominance: all are resource competition problems. In a healthy system, competition exists but is regulated. In an unhealthy one, it depletes everything.

See also: Allelopathy, Drought-Stressed Tree, Energy Flow

One of the core diagnostic patterns in the Story Tree Framework™. A root-bound story has a massive, elaborately developed foundation — intricate worldbuilding, complex magic systems, thousands of years of history — but a stunted canopy. The author has fallen in love with what lives below the surface, at the expense of what readers actually experience. The fix isn't cutting the roots; it's selectively surfacing what the story needs while letting the rest feed the system underground.

See also: Roots, Resource Competition, Top-Heavy Tree

The foundational layer of the Story Tree Framework™. Like a tree's root system, these elements are largely invisible to the reader — but they determine what the rest of the story can become. The root layer establishes the conditions everything else grows in: the pressure, the meaning, the environment. Strong roots don't guarantee a great story, but weak roots make a great story impossible. When something feels wrong in the canopy, I always check the roots first. Conflict is one named example of a root element.

See also: Trunk, Canopy, Story Tree Framework™, Conflict

One of the most misunderstood concepts in craft instruction. "Show, don't tell" is not a commandment; it's a calibration tool. Showing creates immediacy and immersion; telling creates pace and perspective. Both are necessary. The question isn't which to use — it's which serves the reader's experience at this particular moment in the story. I help writers develop the judgment to make that call deliberately, rather than by reflex or rule.

See also: Canopy, Voice

The comprehensive manuscript evaluation service at Red Leaf Word Services. A full ecological read of your manuscript, followed by a detailed editorial letter mapping your complete story ecosystem: what's thriving, what's competing, where energy is flowing or stalling, and why. Identifies priority issues with root-cause analysis and a revision roadmap organized by system layer — so you know not just what to fix, but in what order. For authors who want to understand their story at a systems level, not just receive a task list.

See also: Quick Diagnostic, Narrative Ecology™, Story Tree Framework™

The proprietary analytical framework at Red Leaf Word Services. The Story Tree maps the foundational elements of a story across three interdependent layers — Roots, Trunk, and Canopy — and analyzes how energy, pressure, and resources move between them. It's not a template or a formula; it's a diagnostic tool. The same way I would assess a struggling plant by examining the whole organism in its environment, I assess a manuscript by mapping its complete ecosystem before recommending any intervention. The full framework is applied in every Story Ecosystem Assessment™ and developmental edit.

See also: Narrative Ecology™, Roots, Trunk, Canopy, Story Ecosystem Assessment™

In ecology, succession is the process by which a disturbed or depleted ecosystem gradually rebuilds toward stability — from bare ground to complex, layered community. Applied to revision, narrative succession describes the sequence in which story elements should be addressed: roots before trunk, trunk before canopy. Trying to revise in the wrong order — polishing prose while the plot structure is still broken, or fixing dialogue while the conflict is still undefined — is working against the succession process. You'll do the work twice.

See also: Ecological Restoration, Narrative Ecology™, Roots

One of the core diagnostic patterns in the Story Tree Framework™. A top-heavy story has a gorgeous, thriving canopy — compelling characters, witty dialogue, beautiful prose, vivid voice — but the root system is shallow. Stakes don't matter. Conflict is circumstantial rather than essential. Theme is decorative. Readers enjoy the experience but don't care what happens. This is one of the most common patterns I see, and one of the most frustrating for authors to hear: your writing is strong. Your story is not yet.

See also: Roots, Canopy, Resource Competition

One of the core diagnostic patterns in the Story Tree Framework™. A broken-trunk story has strong roots and a healthy canopy — compelling conflict, interesting characters, solid voice — but the plot structure doesn't efficiently connect them. Scenes are episodic, cause-and-effect is broken, pacing is erratic. Readers can feel that something is wrong even if they can't name it: the story isn't building. The energy your roots are generating isn't reaching your canopy. The trunk is the fix.

See also: Trunk, Energy Flow, Narrative Ecology™

The middle layer of the Story Tree Framework™ — the story's structural core. The trunk is the system that transports energy from the root layer up into the canopy. A strong trunk means readers feel momentum building, scene by scene. A compromised trunk means the roots and canopy can't communicate, no matter how well developed each is individually. Structure is not a formula; it's a flow system. When pacing drags or plot feels episodic, the trunk is where I look.

See also: Roots, Canopy, Energy Flow, Broken Trunk

The distinct quality that makes a story feel like it could only have been written by this author, for this story — the accumulated effect of word choice, rhythm, tone, and narrative attitude. Voice can't be installed; it emerges from a writer who knows what their story is about and has found the right vessel for it. When voice feels flat or inconsistent, I look to the roots: a writer who isn't sure of their story's core often can't commit to a consistent voice. Voice is one named example of an element in the canopy layer.

See also: Canopy, Roots, Pressure/Response