Editing
It’s not a secret that I love writing. I love the power words have to communicate ideas, evoke emotion, and transport readers to another world. I love the cadence and flow of a well-written sentence. And most of all, I love the way that the written word allows us to tell stories — because being storytellers is at the heart of who we are as human beings.
While I love the physical act of writing, I also deeply enjoy helping others hone their craft. Editing is about more than just correcting grammar or fixing minor mistakes. Editing is about helping writers become better storytellers.
I have a lot of experience to bring to the table. On top of writing and publishing a book of my own, I also have formal education in writing and editing. I graduated college with a degree in Journalism, which means I took lots of classes in writing and editing prose. Yes, journalistic writing is different from fiction writing. But the skills I learned while writing and editing in the field of journalism have a lot of carry-over, and I truly believe that the “just the facts ma’am” way of thinking has deeply impacted my writing for the better. Good fiction is a lot like good journalism in that it should draw the reader in, hold their attention, and avoid fluff.
While getting my degree, I also worked as a section editor for the university’s student-run newspaper. This gave me a lot of hands-on experience editing other people’s work.
Though YA Fantasy is my specialty (that’s the genre of my own novel), I am comfortable editing any genre. In general, the only thing I will pass on is anything containing explicit sexual content.
Editing Services
Proofreading: Proofreading is the final stage of the publishing process, and is a chance for a second set of eyes to double check your completed manuscript in order to make sure no errors (like typos) or minor inconsistencies make it to print. Even experienced writers who are editors themselves make (and miss) small mistakes from time to time. The goal of proofreading is to correct these.
Copy Editing: Copy editing is like the bread and butter of editing, and all writers can benefit from it. It is what most people think of when they think of editing … in a nutshell, it is word-by-word editing that looks for errors in grammar and punctuation. The copy editing process also fixes typos, spelling errors, and syntax problems.
Line Editing: Line editing goes beyond grammar and punctuation and focuses on structural elements like sentence flow. Line editing also checks for problems like redundancy, awkward phrasing, and poor word choice. It can even address broader problems with narrative or characterization.
Developmental Editing: Developmental editing generally includes all of the above, as well as a detailed critique of the story. During a developmental edit, the editor and writer work together on things like world building, plot, pacing, and story structure.
Coaching: As a published author myself, I’m also available to coach you through the writing, editing, and publishing process.
Faith-based Editing: If you’ve spent any amount of time on this blog, you probably already know that I am Catholic. If you aren’t Catholic yourself, go ahead and skip this section. If you are Catholic, hi there! There are a lot of ways I can help you on your writing journey. As your editor, I will make sure that your work is faithful to the Magisterium of the Church. I can also help you tease out Catholic themes, or add balance to Catholic elements that might feel overdone.
Still not sure if I’m the right choice for you and your book? I get that! Editors and writers work together to create polished pieces of art, and they need to be the right fit to make that happen.
Send me a message using the form below, and I will respond back with a few questions to help us get to know each other. After that, you can send me the first three pages of your manuscript for a complimentary edit so you can get a feel for my editing style before making any decisions. I will also use these pages to create a custom quote for you, should you decide you want to move forward.