Exceed Your Expectations

For over 25 years I have been writing and editing books and screenplays. That is my job, but my goal is always to bring out the best writer in you. I want your work to exceed your expectations. As your editor and mentor, I want you to learn how to read your writing critically, and to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. As I work with you, editing your current work, I will also be sharpening your writing skills for your next work. For me, editing is not just helping you rewrite, it is also teaching you how to write.                   

Editing As A Creative Process

All too often, writers view editing as something that is done after the "creative" process of writing is finished. The reality is that editing can be every bit as creative and often more rewarding than that first rush to get it all down. Before a work is truly polished it takes rethinking, refining, and rewriting. Editing also requires critical objectivity, which is usually one of the last skills a writer develops. A good editor offers objective, constructive criticism that motivates you to focus on the work that needs to be done.

Good editing also shows you how to develop interesting characters, create crisp dialogue, and tell a story that keeps the reader turning the pages. All writers--the published and famous, the unpublished and unknown--need the guiding hand of a good editor. The fact is no one writes perfect prose in the first, or even second draft.

A Personal Note

I love what I do and care about your potential as a writer. I do not do boilerplate evaluations, or give advice with a few words of encouragement. If you are serious about your writing, then you deserve the kind of individualized,in-depth editing and coaching I provide.

Story Structure Analysis

• Flow of story and originality of plot
• Tension, plot points, realistic conflicts and believable resolutions.
• Point-of-view, consistency of voice and appropriateness.

Development of Dialogue and Narrative

Line Editing and Detailed Task Memos

• Assistance with, or writing of proposals, synopses and query letters when it is time to submit your work to a publisher or agent

Screenplay Evaluations and Editing

• Story structure analysis, with review of plot points and pacing.
• Sharpening of character delineation and dialogue.

Ghostwriting/Collaborating

• Business
• Motivational
• Self-Help
• Biography
• Memoirs