Working with a mentor can be beneficial for a writer at any stage of the creative process. I have mentored and tutored hundreds of writers and I know what techniques help people write, edit and finish a book - whether they be a 'plotter' or a 'pantser'. I coach writers to find their story and unique style, build strong characters and plot, and a compelling story arc.
I also help keep them accountable for meeting their writing goals in a way that suits their needs and deadline, and is much more customised than you receive in an online creative writing course.
In my experience, all novelists benefit from some level of planning, then writing and rewriting where necessary, until they have a ‘crappy but complete draft’ of their novel that can be read by others. The trick is knowing how to undertake this involved process so you get to the end of the book and don’t get lost or unmotivated along the way.
I offer a combination of expertise in editing and teaching creative writing, as well as manuscript assessment, and aim to fully support you in structuring and writing a draft of your story that is not word or scene perfect, but it is COMPLETE and ready for me to do a big picture edit and manuscript assessment.
What’s the benefit to me?
A finished First draft!
You will be one of the few people who can say they wrote a novel.
Depending on your budget and needs, I can be involved as much or as little as you would like. My services are individualised. Together we tailor a plan for the combination of editorial and coaching services you need to progress towards a finished novel. This can involve practical mentoring, editing of pages and me helping keep you accountable for meeting agreed timelines. Interested?
Work With MeMy point of difference as a coach is that I have a natural ability to see what an author is trying to say and to help them say it better. And because I am both a writing teacher and an editor, I can explain how to improve your story and scene writing in a practical, easy to implement way while also building your confidence and self-belief in your unique writing goals.
Whether you want to see your book on the shelf next to JK Rowling or Liane Moriarty, or write the stories in your heart to the best of your ability, I can help you find a process that works for you. I become a cheerleader for my clients and it’s my job to not just help you meet your goals, but to ensure you experience fun and inspiration along the way.
You only get one chance to grab a reader.
When it comes to publishers, this is especially true. They are more risk adverse than ever. If you send your work off for consideration before the story and writing are the best they can be – and they pass, then that is a publishing house you can’t approach with this book again.
The Editing Services I offer are:
Manuscript Assessments
Many people will start with a Manuscript Assessment. This will look at the overall structure, content and style of your manuscript, and involve one full read of the manuscript.
This may include things like plot, character, point-of-view, pace, writing style, narrative, dialogue, presentation, length, use of research, genre, how you are meeting reader expectations, and your marketing or publishing possibilities.
Manuscript Assessments differ from copy editing or proof-reading. These tend to look in detail at the accuracy of things like spelling, grammar and punctuation while a Manuscript Assessment will give you professional advice on the big picture and how the story and writing can be improved.
A Manuscript Assessment may tell you that your book needs some editing and rewriting, and provide recommendations for how to proceed, but it won’t provide this service for you.
ALL MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENTS COME WITH A FOLLOW UP PHONE CALL TO DISCUSS THE FEEDBACK.
Developmental Editing
There are different forms of editing and all play a vital role in writing a book. What a lot of people think of as EDITING is about changing or cutting words, and correcting spelling and grammar – but this is only one part of the picture. And, to be honest, there is not much point in looking at that until you have assessed the manuscript as a whole.
I can work with you at any part of the novel writing process, so if you have already done a lot of work on your book and had it assessed elsewhere or by Beta readers, and you want to know how the latest rewrite is working. Here, I can go through the raw material and help you identify what you're trying to say with your manuscript and who the target market is and what genre you fall into. Together, we then develop a plan for how to progress the work in a more effective fashion than if it was written with you just writing in circles on your own.
This could be:
Structural Editing
Where I work with your manuscript as a complete story - assessing structure, story logic, characters, dialogue, plot holes, pace, suggestions for page and scene rewrites, advice on how you are fitting into your chosen genre, as well as advising you about writing style inconsistencies or weaknesses.
I look at aspects, like: Is the story interesting? Is your language clear and appropriate for the desired reader? Is the middle too slow? Do the motivations of the characters make sense? Is the ending satisfying? These are all common issues when one tries to write something as long and challenging as a novel.
A Structural Edit is more comprehensive than a Manuscript Assessment. It involves reading the manuscript a couple of times and dissecting it and then providing a clear guide for your rewriting process.
Copy or Line Editing
This is the last part of the editing process before the proof read. It is not focused on the structure of the book or the characters or pace. It is about the words on the page.
Therefore, I ONLY correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalisation, typos, word usage, repetition and fluency, and point out style, language level, point of view (POV) and syntax issues.
Line editing also includes advising where text may need to be rewritten. It does not do this rewriting for you.
I offer a complimentary sample edit of 600 words for new clients, and am always happy to have a chat about your project to see if we are a good match.
Work With Me