Manuscript Editing and Critique
Ongoing Mentorship
Testimonials (for all testimonials, please click here) "I was looking for someone to review and edit my work. After contacting a number of freelance editors, I chose to work with Marcia. Up front, I liked her personal style, responsiveness, and obvious attention to detail. She has helped me with a number of personal essays/creative nonfiction pieces. I am extremely pleased with her work. As a relative novice to this type of writing, I was looking for someone to help with constructive criticism and practical advice as much as editing and grammar. Marcia has absolutely exceeded my expectations." --A client currently engaged in an ongoing mentorship, with a focus on nonfiction writing "I have worked with Marcia for several years, and I am increasingly impressed with her insightful questions and suggestions. No one else I have worked with gives as much useful, productive feedback, which I have used to significantly improve my writing. I can't say enough about her excellent work." --An editing client, working on a travel/adventure narrative Manuscript Editing and Critique I specialize in personal narrative: memoir, personal essay, and other types of "life-writing." I've also assisted writers of literary and mainstream fiction on a diverse array of projects, from young adult novels to experimental short stories. I’m equally comfortable working with beginners and experienced students. I can help at any stage in the writing process, from brainstorming to polishing a final draft; and I'm happy to work on short pieces as well as book-length manuscripts. In the forms of memoir, essay, and fiction, people have brought me stories and meditations about a wide range of subjects: childhood, adolescence, family history; love, marriage, parenting; illness, disability, recovery; travel narratives; death, dying, grief; and spiritual journeys. I don't think of particular subjects as "taboo.” I encourage writers to push past their internal (and external!) censors, to say all that they need to say. The critique process: When I critique a manuscript, whether fiction or nonfiction, I provide an honest, thorough, straightforward assessment of the work. I examine all of the elements which are necessary to effective storytelling: sentence and paragraph construction; characterization, pacing, dialogue, sensory details, and other aspects of scenewriting; chapter structure, overall narrative arc, and emotional/psychological impact. Regardless of length, I read each work twice--once to get a sense of the content and a second time to make comments. I write or type comments directly on the page, offering specific suggestions for improvement: a scene which might be expanded, an idea which needs clarification, a section of text which could be deleted or moved in order to improve flow. I also point out the strengths of the piece: insightful, moving, or humorous lines and passages; engaging depictions of people and places; fresh, original language that expresses the writer’s unique voice. In addition to making notations on most pages of the manuscript, I compose a critique summary containing my overall impressions and recommendations. Line editing: Line editing involves correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, and other aspects of sentence and paragraph structure. Whether I’m working online or with pen and paper, I mark all changes in color so that the writer can see my revisions clearly and compare them to the original draft. Online or paper? If your manuscript is under 30 pages (double-spaced, with a 12-point font and one-inch margins), you can email the manuscript in a Word or .rtf attachment. You may then ask me to make all comments and corrections online and return your work via attachment, or to make notations by hand and return the work by regular mail. If you prefer, you can choose to send and receive the manuscript via regular mail, in which case notations will necessarily be made by hand. Keep in mind that an online critique or edit is, of course, the faster method in terms of exchanging the manuscript; however, it does “disrupt” the look of your manuscript in that comments in colored font are placed within the text. Critique or editing by hand means a few days’ delay while we wait for the mail, but it preserves the look of the text in that comments and corrections are written in the margins and between lines. (The critique summary is a separate document and is always typed.) There is no additional charge for either method, and I cover the cost of return postage for manuscripts under 30 pages. Let your personal preference be your guide. If your manuscript is over 30 double-spaced pages (12-point font, one-inch margins), it must be sent via regular mail; and you will need to include a self-addressed envelope with enough postage for the return of the manuscript. Notations will be made by hand. Fees, estimates, and contracts: My rate is $40 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum. You can opt for critique only, line editing only, or critique plus line editing: the same hourly rate applies in all cases. Some writers request critique alone for work which is still evolving in terms of content and structure. Others want critique plus line editing when their goal is to produce a polished draft. The decision is yours. The amount of time I might spend on a given manuscript depends on a number of factors, including the length of the piece, your goals for its completion, and your budget. As you might imagine, critique plus line editing takes more time than critique alone; and if you’re preparing to submit your work for publication or as part of an MFA application, you may want an especially intensive going-over. By contrast, if you’re mainly interested in growing as a writer and don’t yet have specific goals in mind for your manuscript, a challenging but somewhat less detailed critique without editing may suit your needs. If you’d like to inquire about using my services: **Email me at info@marciatrahan.com and tell me about your manuscript. What is your subject? What’s the word count? What are your goals for the work? Do you want critique, line editing, or both? Are there specific aspects of the manuscript which you feel need more attention than others? **Based on the information you provide, I’ll reply with an initial price estimate; I may ask to see part of the manuscript via attachment before giving an estimate. The total fee is always negotiable: If you have a specific amount budgeted, let me know what it is, and I will let you know what I can provide for that amount. I’ll also give you an idea of how quickly you can expect me to complete the work. **Once we agree on a price and other details concerning the critique, I’ll draw up a contract and send it via email for your review. I will begin the work once I receive the manuscript, a copy of the contract with your signature, and payment of one-half of the agreed-upon price. The remaining balance is due upon completion of the work. **I accept personal checks, money orders, and e-check and credit card payments via PayPal. All inquiries welcome! Ongoing Mentorship Are you feeling stuck in the middle of a project which seems as if it will never be finished? Are you struggling to find the time and motivation to keep writing? Do you find yourself wishing that there were someone you could contact for suggestions and support? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, mentorship might be for you. The structure of a mentorship is something we design together. Contact takes place via email, phone conversations, or both, so that the mentorship works no matter where you live. In addition to critique and line editing, I offer suggestions on overcoming obstacles, reading recommendations, personalized exercises, writing deadlines—whatever I can reasonably provide to give you the encouragement and practical help every writer needs. My rate for mentoring services is $40 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum. Once you prepay for a block of hours, you can use those hours according to scheduled times or as needed. Contact me at info@marciatrahan.com if you’d like to discuss mentorship. |