Editing

According to J. Russell Lynes, “No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published.” Admittedly, editing can be painful. But it’s also what will distinguish your work from the sea of sloppy writing out there. So whether you have a 100,000 word novel that feels like it’s going nowhere or you just need someone to make sure your résumé is free of embarrassing errors, I can help you rise to the top.

Developmental Editing

This is the deep sea diving level of editing. If you are writing a novel, novella, short story, or a work of nonfiction in any genre and you’ve run into trouble — plot holes, static characters, lack of story, overwhelm from the scope of the project, lack of focus, etc. — you may benefit from a thorough developmental edit. At this level, we’re not concerned about commas or varying sentence structure (that will come later at the copyediting stage). We’re concerned with whether you are clearly communicating your point to the reader, whether you’re holding their interest, whether your story is plausible, whether you’ve started in the right place, and more.

If you’re a novelist and you’re having trouble getting an agent, if you’re a short story writer and your stories just aren’t selling, if you’re a nonfiction writer who managed to sell your book on spec and now you’re scrambling to make your deadline and you’re not sure you can do it — consider a developmental edit. The frustration and rejection you could save is well worth the investment. I’ll tell you what works, what doesn’t (and why), and give you helpful suggestions and strategies for fixing it.

Copyediting

Also called line editing, this is the snorkeling level of editing. Choose this level of editing if you are confident in the overall structure of your novel, story, article, or nonfiction book, but you aren’t confident that you’ve made it the best it can be on a sentence-by-sentence level. Copyediting not only helps you present your work as clearly and error-free as possible, it helps you refine your unique voice, raising the level of your writing from good enough to great to gorgeous.

Proofreading

This is the windsurfing level of editing. All of the deep-seated problems in your manuscript have been solved and your sentence structure is set. All you need is that final spit and polish before sending it out into the world. A good proofing makes sure you’ve dotted every i, crossed every t, and corralled every wayward comma.

If you’re unsure about whether you are at the point of needing a freelance editor, this Writer’s Digest article may help you decide.