Creative solutions to practical problems.
It’s not easy being a writer. It’s hard to get the people in your life to take your writing seriously. You have to fight to carve out time to work on your craft (There’s always that guy at some party who says, “If I had a weekend I could write a novel.” Um, right.). And then, who can you trust to give you honest feedback to take your work to the next level without changing your voice or your story?
I’ve sat on both sides of the publishing desk. I get it. I know how hard it is to get where you are. And I know what publishers are thinking about your book. And I can teach you what you need to know to reach your writing goals. In fact, that’s the first thing I’m going to ask you about. I love helping people stretch out of their comfort zones and reach their goals.
At heart, I’m a teacher. I don’t just edit your work, I help you grow your craft. You understand what I am doing and why so you can apply this to your other works.
Have a question? I’m available to help. Don’t spend any more time wondering if your writing is good enough. Get help today.
While I have options for every budget, I provide the best value to serious writers ready to get their work published, traditional or indie.
Writing coaching
It can be difficult to get personal feedback on your writing, especially during the process. You might have talented beta readers or critique partners in your corner, but what if they don’t know any more than you do? Coaching provides comprehensive guidance to writing, publishing, and career options, tailoring a plan specifically to you and your circumstances. While it’s an investment, it will pay dividends in saving you weeks, months, or even years of frustration, wondering what’s working, what isn’t, and how to fix it.
- Individual
- Small group
Editing
There are a lot of different definitions of what editing is and does. There are no real standards for editors, so writers often have no good way of knowing if an editor is worthwhile. Even recommendations can be biased. Just because your writer friend liked their editor doesn’t mean it was a good edit or would be a good fit for you.
I’ve worked in traditional publishing as a managing editor. I’m a gold member of the Christian Professional Editors Network, which requires passing editing tests and being vetted. But none of that matters if we’re not a good fit. My goal is always to preserve your vision and your voice for your story. I want your story to be the best it can be. Hopefully, you’ll not only get a solid edit, you’ll learn principles of craft along the way that you can apply to your future works.
Because of the subjective nature of editing, I will ask for a sample of your writing and give you my feedback on what I think I can accomplish for you. That way you can determine if we are on the same page. It’s also why you won’t find a list of prices on my site. I customize each quote to what the project needs. I don’t shoehorn you into predetermined categories.
Types of editing
There is also a lot of confusion about the different types of editing. There are three main categories.
- Developmental/substantive edit–A big-picture edit looking at story arc, character development, and the flow of the book.
- Copy/line edit–This is what most people think of as editing, looking at paragraph and sentence structure, word usage, grammar, and flow.
- Proofread–This is a final edit looking for typos and mistakes and is best done by a fresh set of eyes.
My team and I will work to get you the appropriate levels of editing your project needs.
Writing Teaching
- Take one of my courses listed in the courses menu above. New ones are added all the time.
- You can also pick up my book, Eat the Elephant: How to Write (and Finish!) Your Book One Bite at a Time to get you started in the right direction. After having shared this method with many writers at every level of writing skills over my fifteen years as an editor and an author, what I’ve discovered is that the Novel Blueprint method covered in Eat the Elephant addresses many common problems.
Membership Group
I also have a membership site where each week I teach about craft, how to make a career out of writing, and provide information that keeps you from feeling like you’re drinking out of a fire hose! We also have a discussion section to ask any questions you’d like, an accountability thread, and a place to talk about your wins. Look at the menu above for Members Area.
Strategy Call
Not sure what you want or need or even the questions to ask? Hop on a strategy call with me to talk about your goals and map out a plan with options to get you there.
Contact me via the contact form below. Get started today making your writing goals a reality. Or risk another year in the frustration of spinning your wheels, not knowing if your writing is really good enough.
