Fiction

As an author, you want to inspire and captivate your readers. You want to tell stories which thrill and surprise your audience. Most of all, though, you want to take your readers on a journey, so they feel like they’re really living your story.

You need an editor who really cares about fiction, and who understands the power of a great story. That’s where I come in.

I work with authors of fiction to develop, shape and polish their work, offering a flexible and responsive service that’s tailored to your requirements. Great editing isn’t just about perfecting grammar and correcting mistakes (though I can do that for you!); it’s also about supporting you – the author – through the editing process, helping you to find your voice and bring your story to life.

You might be an experienced writer or a first-time author working on your debut novel. Perhaps you intend to pursue the traditional publishing route, or maybe you’re looking to self-publish. Whatever your plans, I can help you to craft a manuscript that you’re proud of, so that you can have total confidence in your work.

I work on a broad range of genres, but I’m particularly interested in:

  • commercial fiction, contemporary fiction, women’s fiction

  • crime fiction, mystery fiction, detective fiction, police procedural

  • thriller, psychological thriller, suspense

  • romance, romantic comedy

  • historical fiction, historical romance

See below for a list of fiction services. Please note, these services can be tailored or combined to suit the requirements of your project.

 Fiction Services

Manuscript Assessment

You’ve completed your manuscript, but you’re not sure what to do next. A manuscript assessment will get you on the right track, so that you can start your editing journey!

Manuscript assessment is a form of developmental editing which takes place early in the editorial process. The aim of a manuscript assessment is to provide an honest and constructive critique of your novel, giving a broad overview of its strengths and weaknesses. A manuscript assessment usually focuses on elements such as:

  • plot and structure

  • tension and pacing

  • believability and authenticity

  • world-building, atmosphere and scene-setting

  • point of view and perspective

  • voice and writing style

Manuscript assessment is all about the big picture, and it usually takes place before sentence-level editing, so you won’t receive a marked-up manuscript as part of this service. Instead, you’ll receive a detailed manuscript assessment report, offering in-depth guidance on how to improve your novel and what to do next. Reports vary in length, but they are usually approximately ten pages long. You’ll also get an hour-long consultation session, where you can ask me for further information and guidance about anything in the report.

Developmental Editing

Developmental editing (sometimes called substantive editing or structural editing) usually takes place early in the editing process. Typically, developmental editing focuses on big-picture elements, such as:

  • plot and storytelling

  • characterisation

  • perspective and voice

  • pace, tension and narrative arc

  • target audience and genre

  • structure

  • writing style

As your developmental editor, I will offer an in-depth editorial report, providing an objective and supportive critique of your novel, as well as practical guidance on how to shape and improve your work. I will also offer a marked-up manuscript, with comments and suggestions showing how you can restructure and develop your novel.

Copy and Line Editing

Copyediting is a form of sentence-level editing which addresses the accuracy, coherence, readability and consistency of a piece of work. Line editing also takes place at sentence level, but it is more focused on the stylistic content of the work and the flow of the writing.

I offer a copy and line editing service for authors of fiction, so that you can be confident that your work is as clear and readable as possible. A copy and line edit will fine-tune and tighten your manuscript, improving pace and ensuring that your writing flows naturally and seamlessly. As your copy and line editor, I will also help you to refine and enhance your writing style, without interfering with the authenticity of your voice.

During a copy and line edit, I will look at elements such as:

  • the flow and rhythm of the text

  • authentic and consistent characterisation

  • dialogue and dialogue punctuation

  • repetition, ambiguity and awkward phrasing

  • inconsistency of plot and narrative detail

  • the appropriateness and accessibility of the language for your target audience

  • spelling, grammar, punctuation, hyphenation and capitalisation

You will receive a marked-up manuscript with my comments, queries, suggestions and edits clearly marked, so that you can review them in your own time. You’ll also receive a style sheet to accompany your manuscript, detailing the style used throughout your work.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final quality check before your novel is published. This typically involves correcting any last-minute errors that may have slipped through during earlier stages in the editing process. This might include looking at:

  • punctuation and grammar

  • spelling and typos

  • dialogue punctuation

  • hyphenation

  • missing words

  • typographical consistency

  • paragraphs and section breaks

You will receive a marked-up manuscript with my comments, queries, edits and corrections clearly marked, so that you can review them in your own time. You’ll also receive a style sheet, detailing the style used throughout your manuscript and any style choices which have been made (e.g. spelling and punctuation choices).