Writing is a creative work of both mind and heart. It takes everything we’ve got and then some. I believe our astounding God supplies all that and more. It’s a creative collaboration, but not just between us and God. It includes a team of people God supplies us with, like friends, family, writing buddies, critique partners, editors, agents, designers, marketing partners, and so on.
As an author, I’ve benefitted greatly from those collaborations. As an editor and writing mentor, it’s been my incredible honor and pleasure to be part of those collaborations for other writers. If you’re in need of an editor or a manuscript evaluator on your team, read on to see how I can help you.
You can also find more resources for writers at Write from the Deep.
Macro (Developmental) Editing
Have you completed your novel and revised it a time or two, but you know it still needs…something? Or maybe you’ve revised it umpteen times and you need an outside perspective. Or maybe it’s as good as you can make it, but you want MORE.
A macro edit could be the right choice for you.
Big-picture (macro) edits are my favorite. I have a geeky side, and I love structure and analysis. But I also have an artistic side (with an art and a music degree to prove it!). I love the way a great story can reach into the hearts and souls of readers and change them.
But good writing rarely does that. It needs to be great writing.
That’s not easy to achieve on your own, because it’s hard to see your work through your reader’s eyes. You’re too close to it. That’s why finding an experienced professional who can evaluate your story with fresh eyes makes all the difference. Someone who’ll take apart your plot, your structure, your characters, your dialogue, your POV choices, your scenes, and give you a detailed roadmap for elevating your work to the next level.
Readers, writers, and editors all want the same thing. We want words on a page to become a powerful emotional experience. Contact me to see how I can help you do just that.
Full Book Evaluation
If you’re a new writer and just finished your first manuscript, even if you’ve revised it several times, a full book evaluation may be the right next step for you.
Why? Because macro edits are best for experienced writers who have a good understanding of the complexities of novel writing. And simply having a few chapters critiqued won’t give you the big picture help you need. You need something right in the middle of those options, and that’s why I offer the full book evaluation.
You need feedback on the entire scope of your manuscript and analysis of what’s missing in your writing, or what mistakes you’re making that will hinder reader engagement. You also need to know what you’re doing well, so you can take better advantage of it. And most of all, you need to know what skills you need to learn in order to take your craft to the next level, so your next revision can be more effective than you ever imagined!
Craft Evaluation
You’ll send me 12 pages of your work (either fiction or nonfiction), for a craft evaluation, and I read and assess them in order to determine your craft level and the areas of strengths and weaknesses I see in those pages. The goal is to give you a professional critique of your craft so you can make decisions about how to go about elevating your work to the next level on the road to publication.
I focus on writing technique (arc, voice, clarity, anecdotes, dialogue, structure, POV, character development, hook, etc.), as well as genre and industry expectations, target audience, and felt needs where applicable. I also provide a list of various resources available to help you move forward.
Ask me anything
Maybe you just have a question or two about, say, three-act structure, or inciting incidents, or proposals. Do you really even need to write a proposal? Maybe POV is a mystery to you. Or you’re not sure whether your book is (or should be) a memoir, a prescriptive book, or a devotional. Or maybe you’re thinking about switching genres and you want advice.
Or perhaps you have questions about the business side of writing. Questions like when (or whether) you need a domain name, a website, or a pen name. Or you’re wondering about social media, PR, and the hows and whys of newsletters. Perhaps you want to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of traditional publishing vs. indie publishing. Or maybe you just want someone to walk through the steps of publishing your book yourself.
Whatever your questions, these hour-long video calls are about giving you personalized answers!
A bit more about my experience…
- I’m traditionally published with a large publisher.
- I’ve done indie publishing, because sometimes that’s best.
- I also co-founded a small publishing company, which I helped run by doing acquisitions, editing, website and newsletter updates, author relations, and marketing.
- As the co-creater of Write from the Deep, I’ve built websites and have produced, cohosted, and published podcast episodes for nearly 10 years with editor and former agent Karen Ball.
- I’ve taught at many writing conferences including the ACFW national conference, the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, the Florida Christian Writers Conference, the Write To Publish Conference, Oregon Christian Writers Conference, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, and more.
- I have edited manuscripts for my own freelance clients as well for a small publishing company.
- I love the big picture, but I’m detail oriented, so you can expect indepth analysis, lots of ideas, tough questions, and a much longer feedback letter than you anticipated, all delivered in a positve, encouraging fashion. I know how it feels to be on the recieving end of critique–I’ve been there!
But maybe what you need to know most is that I love writers, and I love working with them to help strengthen their manuscripts into creative experiences for readers that resonate long after the last page is read.