My Services 

 

As a writer myself, I know how tough it can be to produce the work that you feel you’re capable of, to convey your ideas in a way that will connect with readers. Sometimes you may find yourself (as I did the other day) eating Twizzlers and poring over “41 celebrities and their REAL weights!” instead of fixing things. Horrible.

My goal is to get you out of that dismal state, to help you articulate your ideas in the clearest, most engaging way, while providing the encouragement and support that will make our work together more enjoyable—and much more productive—than soldiering on alone. 

Think of me as a stand-in for your potential readers. To help you reach them, I will:

  • ask you questions: What are you trying to show here? Should that argument be more fleshed-out right now?

  • offer suggestions: Let’s compress this section. Maybe they should fall in love in Chapter Three.

  • tell you when something is working: This part is really great—don’t touch it!

 


Am I the right person for you?

I’m a development editor, who can help you:

  • get a book proposal in good enough shape to submit to an agent

  • figure out ways to breathe life into your short story

  • find your own voice for a memoir or essay

  • untangle a promising but knotty full-length manuscript.

I’m a general editor, who can help you:

  • organize the order of your paragraphs

  • make your sentences flow

  • find language that best conveys your meaning

  • correct basic errors of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.


My specialties are: biography and memoirs, short stories, essays, narrative non-fiction, literary and popular fiction. I do not work with: crime fiction, sci-fi, romance, Young Adult fiction, self-help, technical writing.

 

 

Working together

How do we begin?

We’ll have a conversation about your writing and the kind of assistance you’re looking for. 

If that goes well, you’ll send me your work, and after giving it a quick read, I will write you a short, general assessment, indicating the kind of help it needs and whether or not I feel I can be of use. If your material is less than 25 pages, there’s no charge. If it’s a hefty piece of work, I will charge $200.

If we agree to proceed, we'll have a more substantive phone discussion about goals, procedure, scheduling, and terms. (I’m flexible in regard to payment, and work with an hourly or page rate, or for a flat fee, depending on the scope of the project.) 


WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

It depends on how big a role you want me to play. 

If you’re looking for development help, I will give you, in writing, a more detailed assessment of the next step. You’ll work on my suggestions and send me material, either in batches or all at once, depending on the timing and scale of the project. Of course we can chat and email back and forth as needed. 

If you want a simpler general edit, I will work on the manuscript and get it back to you with questions and suggested changes. 

I will need both emailed and hard copy to work with. I’m used to editing with Track Changes but will offer annotations on the hard copy if that’s preferable. 

Remember, it’s all about your words, your choices. I’m there to help you find your best words, make your best choices. When we reach that point, we’re done!