Editing is a necessary thing for making a piece of writing clear for readers. But where is the adventurous writer to find an editor? With so many people taking to writing these days, there is a considerable need for freelance editors. Many of these independent writers are not used to the challenges of proofreading and editing their own work.
The problem with this is that the author is usually very familiar with the story or discussion (if non-fiction) that they are putting forward. This familiarity leads the author to overlook errors or mis-wording that might occur along the way. The author sees what he or she expects to see, instead of what is actually present.
This is why having an editor is so crucial to putting out a quality piece of work.
I bring my years of experience as an English major, and being a writer myself, to the task of providing the best editing services to my clients. Editing goes beyond simply proofreading of a manuscript. It involves being sensitive to the effect of wording on a reader, the rhythm of a sentence and the subtleties of meaning in word choice. When I take on an editing job for a client, you get the benefit of my analytic skills. I will tell you the implications of your wording, letting you decide how you want to clarify your point (though I will often suggest something that I think will achieve your end). But always, the manuscript is your work, and I will not attempt to rewrite what you have done – not in the sense of making it unrecognizable to you. I want your prose to shine in the best way possible when you send it out into the world to find readers.
If editing styles are important for your manuscript, I have worked with CMoS (Chicago Manual of Style) and with APA (American Psychological Association). If you have another specific style guideline, I can also adapt to those specific needs. All you have to do is tell me what you need.
So, editing consists of my giving your work a read-through for necessary corrections for clarity. This can cover everything from basic proofreading, line editing, deep editing with notes, even formatting editing.
EDITING SAMPLES
Sample Edit #1 for Michael Mordenga’s The Boy and His Curse (a fantasy novel)
Sample Edit #2 for Michael Mordenga’s The Boy and His Curse (a fantasy novel)
Sample Edit #3 for Karen Middleton’s The River of the Alien God (a science fiction novel)
Sample Edit #4 for Jason Miller’s Functional Element Analysis of Bronze Age Aegean Sword Types Using Finite Element Analysis (an academic thesis)
Sample Edit #5 for Jason Miller’s Functional Element Analysis of Bronze Age Aegean Sword Types Using Finite Element Analysis (an academic thesis)
STARTING OUT
If you want to take advantage of my services, fill out THIS FORM and email it to me at consult@scribblerworks.us
(Print the form as a PDF and attach it in an email to the above address)
When emailing me, please let me know the following:
(1) Your name and email address
(2) The nature of the work you want reviewed (novel, feature or comic book script, etc.)
(3) The word count of prose works; the page count of scripts of any sort
(4) A general description of the work
(5) Whether or not you are working on a deadline
Remittance is due upon agreement for submission. The usual practice is half at commencement of the job, half upon delivery of my final notes. Payment methods can be discussed, but PayPal or funds transfer via the Zelle bank network is preferred.
ON THE EDIT:
For prose works, I prefer to work in Microsoft Word, using the “Track Changes” feature. This will allow me to make/suggest edits and include notes on the manuscript. Then you, as the client, can make the decision to accept my changes or not. But you will at least have an explanation of why I have made the change/suggestion.
For scripts, I in general would rather work with a PDF, and include my comments using “sticky notes” in the PDF.
