Through my path of becoming a writer, I have discovered something else I love as much, if not more. Editing.
I have loved every minute of sharing critiques with on-line buddies and my in-person critique group. The opportunity to experience someone else's world along with playing a role in shaping, sharpening, and bringing life to something as real as offspring, well that just hits about everything I enjoy in life. It thrills me almost as much as if I had my own book published that several of my critiqued or edited books have been published. I want to see your success!
I've gotten plenty of encouraging feedback as I honed my writing skills and improved my critique skills. So much so that I realize this is something I want to DO. I continue to educate myself with those pesky comma rules, studying everything I read for both grammar and flow, and there is no better way to know you've learned something than to teach it. Also, if you need to cut word count, I'm great at eliminating needless phrases, repeated concepts, and useless words.
In my critiques, I explain the rules or logic or industry "norms" behind a suggestion. I don't just say something doesn't work, but offer a possible rewrite when I can. I do lean more toward a line edit critique, but I keep an eye out for internal consistency, repetitive words, scene's supporting the plot, and big picture problems.
For my introduction to the editing world, I am only charging $0.75/page and will work on anything from a rough draft to that final version. It is often quite difficult to catch every little missing comma when focusing on content and big picture issues in a rough draft, so I am willing to do a second pass after you make your changes for $0.50/page.
Drop me a line at writing@marlenemoss.com and I'll get you scheduled. I will also edit your first 20 pages for free so you can see if my services are a good match for your needs!
I was very impressed with Marlene's edit of my manuscript, a psychological thriller. This was my first attempt at a novel, which I had put aside a few years ago and recently dug out. Looking at it now, I wasn't sure where to begin to fix it. Marlene provided a comprehensive, objective analysis of my story and gave me the feedback I needed to get started with the rewrite.
ReplyDeleteShe got to it quickly - within a week of my request - and turned it around in about 4 days. I found her comments to be insightful and wide-ranging. She touched on everything from POV to passive voice to character development to overall marketability. She gave me references and resources, and reasons to back up her recommendations.
Her critique was thorough and well presented. It included lots of constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement in a way that was easy to accept and not at all off-putting. I have a fairly thick skin when it comes to my work being critiqued, but I think even a sensitive person would find her approach positive and helpful.
She has an excellent grasp of grammar and writing rules, and even taught me a finer point of using commas that I had never learned before!
Needless to say, I was very pleased with my edit from Marlene and would highly recommend her as a fiction editor.
-Susan Y.