During this month of December, I offer a one-time special to writers who seek professional editorial feedback on their work-in-progress. Send me 10 pages of your writing and I’ll do a developmental edit and provide you with a tracked version of your Word document with a one-hour consultation by phone or Skype for the special rate of $150.
Why 10 pages? I can diagnose common editorial issues in 10 pages which will likely affect the rest of the pages in your manuscript. What you gain is an opportunity to take the feedback from those 10 pages and apply it to the rest of your manuscript. An enormous cost-savings to you. A little editorial guidance and advice can go a long way.
For example, if I see you have two spaces after every period when it should only be one, then you can revise the rest of your manuscript instead of paying an editor to point out every single extra space in a 200 page document. Or if I recognize the pronoun “we” in your text has unclear 
referents (“we” could be you and the readers, the narrator and other characters, or the writer and like-minded folk), then you can review and revise the rest of your manuscript for the pronoun “we” and edit appropriately.
But a developmental edit is more than spelling, punctuation, grammar, and language usage. Pacing, continuity, POV, voice, character, dialogue, emotional resonance—editorial issues at the macro level are assessed. I’ll let you know what works, what needs work, and provide resources and references to help you complete the work. Unlike your friends and family, I won’t tell you what you want to hear. I’ll tell you what you need to know if you seek publication for your work.
All writers are insecure about their writing. We’re plagued by doubts and uncertainties about how others will react to what we’ve written. And while it can be affirming to have a friend or colleague give you positive feedback, as a writer you want an independent review and constructive criticism that helps you improve your writing craft. A professional editor can do what those who already know you cannot: evaluate the content independent of their personal relationship to you.
Have you finished writing but can’t yet commit to hiring an editor to go through your entire manuscript? Maybe you’re getting ready to query agents or publishers in 2017 and you’d like a second look at your writing sample before you send it off. Or you’re working on an article, essay, or grant application and need some constructive criticism.
Perhaps you’ve never had an editor review your writing before and would appreciate an honest 
professional appraisal.
Or maybe you are looking for a special holiday gift for a friend who is a writer? Contact me and I’ll provide you with a gift certificate for this special offer of 10 pages and a one-hour consult (to be redeemed before January 31, 2017).
This offer is good only through the month of December. Even if you can’t schedule a one-on-one consultation until next month, you can take advantage of this limited time offer by contacting me before the end of the calendar year.
Writing and Listening — an Interview with Brooke Randel
As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust—just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant memories: baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the blue: “You should write about my life. What happened in the war.” What results is a fascinating memoir—about one woman’s harrowing survival, and another’s struggle to excavate theRead more…