verba volent, scripta manent – words flee, writing remains
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verba volent, scripta manent – words flee, writing remains |
The manuscript looks wonderful — you did a beautiful job.  Marcia Schutte The cover letter and synopsis are wonderful...the synopsis is much more exciting and well, "understandable." I very much appreciate the work you've done on The Starfish People to help make it the best it can be.  Leann Marshall, You did a wonderful job editing our text. You remind me of the actor who performs brilliantly without ever revealing traces of his craft. We never see the tricks. You blend your ideas and corrections so seamlessly into the weave of our story that we find it almost impossible to find traces of your handiwork. But the evidence of your skill is sheer wizardry that punches up our story into a first class read. You truly are a marvel! Peter Letendre, co-author with Marilyn McNally of Marg Gilks is a treasure. Marta McCarthy Ferguson, author of The Kidnapping of Michael Quinn Thanks for your handholding in words. S. Gilbert I'm getting so much MORE out of this mentoring thing than anything I've EVER done before! Jerrye Sumrall, author of As a new writer, I knew I needed help. But I was afraid that the editing process would be complicated, a difficult task in communicating my intentions. However, I found that Marg automatically grasped what I was trying to say, where I was headed and how to get there. Her advice was thorough and prescriptive, making the entire process smooth and timely. She never once made me feel as "green" as I was, but rather, empowered by my potential. Please contact her before you do anything else with your writing. Sincerely, I want to thank you again for the critique you did for me. It pointed out so many things in the book that could be fixed, that I'd not seen before, that I was able to put in some really serious work and, I think, make improvements. I'm proud of the book as it is now. A.B. Cresswell, author of Lady of Zenobar |
 "I currently have a few agents interested in representing the work, but I was a bit surprised to learn that agents and editors at publishing houses actually do not assist in fine-tuning the work." On this page: Copyediting and line editing; Manuscript Evaluation; Mentoring;
COPYEDITING & LINE EDITINGWhen copyediting, I
Line editing also includes making suggestions or minor alterations on a scene-by-scene or paragraph-by-paragraph basis to tighten plot, improve characterization, dialogue, and setting, and correct infelicities in point of view. I charge by the standard page, my page-fee being dependent upon the level of editing required. I determine this by doing a test edit: I actually edit several pages of your manuscript and return this to you with an accurate quote. You are able to review the edited sample and see what I would do in editing your full manuscript, should you choose to work with me. Click here to see an actual sample of my editing. If you would like me to do a complimentary test edit for you, for instructions, or further information. PROOFREADINGAs defined by the EAC: Proofreading is examining material after layout to correct errors in textual and visual elements. A quick final pass in order to polish a manuscript for submission or publication best defines proofreading. When proofreading, I correct typos, spelling, punctuation, and inverted word order and flag inconsistencies and errors in grammar. If doing a final page proof, I also check line flow, headers, placement of graphics, page breaks and numbering, and flag all errors and inconsistencies for the desktopper to address. Any workable format is acceptable — Word, WordPerfect, PDF, Acrobat, Quark, or hardcopy. I do not rework or rewrite your writing.
WEB EDITINGWeb site editing includes the following: A general assessment of whether the site's objective (entertainment, information, sales, corporate presence) has been fulfilled: are content, layout, and graphics appropriate? Does the site make it easy for users to purchase the product? Does the site appeal to its intended audience? Checking usability: do all hyperlinks go where they're supposed to go? Can users navigate easily? Are any graphics missing? Are text and color choices appealing to viewers and easy on the eyes? Does the page load too slowly? (These aspects are checked in both Internet Explorer 6 and Netscape 7.) HTML proofreading for missing end tags, misspellings in attributes and meta tags, the order of nested elements, etc. Note: I do not change your code. I flag errors and inconsistencies for your attention.
MENTORINGA one-on-one writing workshop, with your work as the only project. You determine what you'd like to accomplish from mentoring, what the project will be, how much time is devoted to it, and how long the "workshop" goes on. If you want to pick my brain, or have me read and comment on revisions to your novel on an ongoing basis, or assess your short stories or articles, we can do that. Need help with your query letter or synopsis? Here's where you'll get it. Also included is a mini-education in writing in general; I draw on my years of writing experience to offer you advice on avoiding scams, how and where to market, manuscript format, submission etiquette, etc. Feel free to ask questions. I'll answer if I can.
MANUSCRIPT EVALUATIONMy goal in performing a manuscript evaluation is to help you improve your novel or short story manuscript via self-editing, or to help you determine whether a manuscript is ready to market or if it needs further work. An evaluation can either be stand-alone, a preliminary step to editing, or included as part of my editing service. I thoroughly read the manuscript and write a report detailing what I feel its strengths and weaknesses are, including those noted in
If I have suggestions or ideas on how problem areas can be improved, I offer them. I don't make any changes to your manuscript. It's up to you to act upon my suggestions. You are invited to discuss points raised in my report via e-mail for one week afterward.
WHAT'S A STANDARD PAGE?It's a manuscript file formatted to the same guidelines detailed by agents and publishers:
Do not manually format your file — use your word-processor's formatting tools. Back to copyediting & line editing WRITINGDon't know how to say it? Let me write it for you. Need content for your newsletter or Web site? Tell me what you need, and I'll write it. With a list of writing credits for poetry, articles, and short stories that spans twenty years and includes publications as diverse as Seventeen Magazine, Cats Magazine, Home Business Journal, Inkspot, Writing-world.com, The Writer, Tales of the Unanticipated, Eternity Online, and Orpheus Romance, I have a proven track record as a writer. Contact me for
NOTE: I do not ghostwrite books.  for further details or a complete list of my writing credits.
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