What would you like to know?
When should I reach out to you about editing my novel?
If you’ve finished your first draft, have had beta readers give you their feedback, and based on that feedback you now have a second draft, then you might be ready to get some professional eyes on it. Do you feel ready? Have you done all the editing work you feel you have it in you to do on your own? Are you in any way stuck? Do you want some guidance into the next draft? These are the main questions to ask and if you answer yes to any of them then it’s time to consider having me take a look.
What’s the difference between a beta/alpha/ARC reader giving feedback and you doing an assessment?
Well, frankly, it depends on their skill level. Are they giving solid suggestions that resonate with you regarding how to fix the weaknesses they’ve spotted in your story? If yes, then stick with them. End of the day, you might have created a beautiful final draft using only readers but wish to have an editor do a final read-through before you self-publish, just to be sure everything looks as good as you feel it does.
I have twenty years experience crafting stories. I have constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed narratives professionally for the past five years. I will also give honest, non-biased feedback that always takes your vision into consideration.
As with most creative collaborations, the answer to this question comes down to whether we form an understanding of what you’ve set out to create on deeper levels than the understanding you’ve formed with your group of readers. Which, in my experience, we will.
What is an assessment?
An assessment is professional feedback on each of the narrative elements that comprise your story where the core elements of character/plot/world are explored in-depth. I also look at your structure as a whole and how your choices work in terms of setting an even pace and tone throughout your manuscript. Your use of dialogue, your use of description, your use of punctuation may also be addressed. (if needed)
The assessment is typically between 10-15 pages long, depending on the word count of your novel, and provides you with enough insight to go confidently into another round of edits without my help. An assessment provides direction and suggests the most effective path forward.
The assessment includes a 30 minute Zoom chat.
What if I want help?
If you feel inspired by the assessment and decide that you’re ready to dig into your story with me as your editor, we will initially schedule a longer chat to make sure we’re on the same page with the work in need of doing. I’ll ask you to clarify your vision and your intention with your story. If this is something you’re not sure of, we’ll discuss it together and I’ll extrapolate on what insights I’ve already provided through the assessment.
This is where I begin to tailor my services to your needs. I’ll have an understanding of what TLC-level your manuscript is in need of and will make suggestions accordingly. A developmental edit+line edit is the most common service I provide. It’s rare that I get a manuscript where the structure is so clean that there is no need for any developmental work.
Either I will have provided a sample edit prior to you hiring me for an assessment, or I’ll be happy to provide that sample edit at this stage so that you can see what the TLC-level I’m suggesting looks like on the page.
How does a developmental edit work?
We take it chapter by chapter. I send you in-depth notes to guide you in any necessary rewriting and restructuring. You return the revisions to me, I read through them, make further notes, send them back for revisions. We continue this delightful dance until we feel the chapter has landed. Then we move on to the next.
As your editor I will keep a bird’s eye view of the narrative. I will make certain that we nail that even pacing and tone that will give the reader the most satisfying experience. I will help sharpen character journeys, ensure a resonating impression of the world you’ve built, secure any wayward plot strands and fill in any plot holes.
I will also be in charge of organizing our collaboration, setting deadlines, and recognizing any outside work that needs doing such as writing outlines for a shared overview (a truly powerful editing tool) and providing plenty of support.
How long does a developmental edit take?
The developmental edit can take anywhere between three to twelve months (it all depends on your word count, what pace you wish to set, your budget, and to some extent my schedule).
As your developmental editor I will ensure that you have a well-structured draft at the end of our collaboration.
Adding a line edit takes the polish to the next level, but you may choose to take the manuscript to a professional copyeditor and/or proofreader and ready it for publication/querying once the developmental edit is done.
If I pay for developmental editing, is other editing necessary?
It depends on whether you feel it’s necessary or not. The developmental edit sans line edit comes with me very modestly touching the actual text. I may go in and rewrite a paragraph or do some restructuring to show you what I mean with a requested revision, but the basis for the developmental edit is detailed feedback meant to guide you in your revision work.
The line edit is a whole different animal. If we determine a deep line edit is preferable to you, I will do revisions on your revisions. I will restructure, cut and move text, and I will add text. This on the caveat that any changes can be unmade by you if they don’t sit well with you. As with the developmental edit, we will take the line edit one chapter at a time as it’s important to me that you feel comfortable as the deep line edit entails a lot of changes to your text.
If your text is already in good shape after the developmental, or if we determine you’re at a stage where your manuscript is ready for a line edit without needing the developmental edit, then I will suggest a lighter line edit. This line edit is beatification only. I will not do much rewriting, adding or subtracting from the original text, but will go over it with my brushes and ensure that the overall impression is as attractive as it can possibly get.
I don’t do copyediting or proofreading simply because my strength lies in the bird’s eye view and I most enjoy the work around ensuring that all the puzzle pieces of the narrative elements are fitted together. I’ll tackle grammar, punctuation and syntax in the line edit, but I have solid copyeditors and proofreaders to recommend to you for the detail work before publication.
What if I have an idea for a story but I don’t even know where to start with it?
To hire me as your coach we begin by scheduling a chat to talk about your idea. This way we can see if we think we’ll be a good fit and I can get an idea of where you’re at in your writing journey. I might recommend some reading material and provide writing exercises to get you started and then we’ll take it from there.
My coaching service is tailored to each specific writer as each writing journey is highly individual and unique. Come with an open heart and a willingness to learn and we’re halfway there.
I have written an outline but I think I’d like to have someone look it over before I start writing the actual book. Do you give that sort of feedback?
Yes, I do. I’ll read your outline/chapter breakdown/synopsis/summary at any stage and talk it through with you via Zoom. I can also give you written feedback, but having a face-to-face conversation and working through any kinks together in real time is often more effective. You decide what you’re comfortable with and how many sessions you would like to book me for.
Chat sessions will run for 2 hours per session and I will be able to provide a recommendation of how many sessions will be most beneficial to you once I’ve looked at your document.