Story drafts come in all shapes and sizes. Molding them for maximum effect comes later.
As storytellers, our role is to engage our readers and give them a satisfying emotional experience. How? Pacing, character building through goal/motivation/conflict, and knowing what to cut and what to expand all play a part. I can help give your story the focus and clarity it needs, while honoring your creative vision.
My Assessment & Editing Services
• Initial Story Critique
• Complete Storyline Checkup
• Developmental Editing (including Line Editing)
• “Name My Book” Package
I handle novels, novellas and short story collections in adult women’s contemporary fiction under 95,000 words. My preferences: Women’s Fiction, Romantic or Psychological Suspense, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Light Paranormal/Fantasy and Mystic Realism (or cross-genre fiction with elements of these).
Why Hire an Editor?
The best stories come from deep within us. Our characters, themes and storylines arise from our subconscious, demanding expression. They also come from our unique experiences and what we believe and feel. It’s important to write out the first draft. Stopping to judge and critique what we have done or “talking it out” with others at this stage can kill the story in its tracks.
Next come revisions. The story needs to be structured so that the reader will care about the protagonist and feel the tension as events unfold. Authors are often too immersed in their own work to be able to recognize what needs changing. For instance, it can be difficult to tell if characters are realistic and well-defined or if there are unnecessary subplots. And because we tend to get attached to our writing, we may fail to see when extraneous details block the ebb and flow.
A skilled editor can spot these and other issues and offer workable solutions as well as polish the text to a publishable standard. With the rapid growth of self-published books in today’s market, story quality is more important than ever.
I look forward to helping you
TRIM, TIGHTEN & TONE your story
as we take it to a higher level.
Click here for details on my Services and Rates.