Editing Services:

1. Beta Reading

Do you have a completed manuscript or story and want professional feedback prior to committing to an editor? Beta reading is a collaborative process and one of the best ways to obtain feedback on your written work.

I like to begin the beta reading process with a call or interview so that I can get a feel for what your needs are, what you think is working, and what you think isn’t. Beta reading is a great way to get a macro view of your work prior to taking any additional steps.

What you will receive:

- A report of your manuscript (length will depend on your page count).
- Very minor correction regarding glaring grammatical errors (this is not a line edit)
- My thoughts, interpretations, and predictions as I read (in-line notations).
- Overall thoughts relating to pacing, tone consistency, engagement to read, and the overall use of the Five Elements of Fiction.

**Please use the Write Me tab to get a quote so that we can start talking about your work!

2. Developmental Editing

Do you have the start of a good idea or even a completed manuscript? Are you not sure where to take it or feel like something is off? When you work with us, you will be getting a professional opinion and assessment of your work in the form of Developmental Edits. We will work together to bring out your best writing, staying true to your authentic voice, and get your story on track.

Developmental editing provides a primarily plot-based big picture look at your novel, focusing on the five elements of fiction, organization, structure, and flow. It is best to request developmental edits prior to line edits.

We will look to sort out irrelevant material and highlight key plot points so you can avoid plot holes and inconsistencies.

There are two different phases of developmental edits, depending on your wants and what phase your work is at.

1) Conceptual Edit/Outline Edit

Conceptual developmental edit will need at least an idea or concept of what you intend on writing. I do not expect there to be any sort of outline yet. Together, we will work on outlining the progression of your novel. This can be done over a series of calls, or an initial call followed by follow-up email/google doc conversations. My goal during this phase, no matter how far into the outlining process you are, is that you are equipped to write a great outline and/or plan of approach for your manuscript.

Should you already have an outline, we will begin with a phone call to discuss your writing goals and any specific areas you’re worried about or questioning in your outline.

After reading your outline I will send you:

- Your original outline with in-line comments and suggestions on the areas that I see may feature problems
- A 1-2 page report featuring more in-depth suggestions for you to consider implementing into your outline

2) Manuscript Developmental Edits

Similar to the conceptual edits/outline edits, I will take a similar approach when reviewing your manuscript. Primarily I am going to look at the pace, plot, characters and voice consistency, the strength and usage of the elements of fiction, as well as the overall flow and story arch.

Returned to you will be the following:

- Your original manuscript with in-line comments and suggestions.
- Very minor grammatical corrections (this is not a line edit)
- A literary report (depending on the length of your novel and extensiveness of review) telling you what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you may want to revise.
- Comments on each chapter (or every other), commenting from the perspective of the reader on the story as it plays out. Also in these notations will be my thoughts and impressions (what I think is working and isn’t).

*Keep in mind that Both developmental editing methods can be combined for a lengthier manuscript edit/review