Manuscript Critique

This is a detailed report assessing your story’s premise, overarching plot structure, character arcs, and other big-picture narrative elements, as well as a summary of its stylistic and mechanical needs. This document of ~10 pages (or ~5 pages for picture books) examines the main strengths and stumbling blocks of your work and lays out possible avenues to a stronger, brighter, more engaging narrative.

Is the Manuscript Critique the right choice for you?

This option is best suited to early-draft manuscripts, where you’ve got the foundations laid down but are open to rearranging some of the brick and mortar to strengthen the overall structure and expression of your work. I most often recommend this level of feedback as a first step of the editing process.

Chances are you need a Manuscript Critique if you answer yes to some of these questions:

• Are you looking for constructive feedback on the overall strengths and weaknesses of your draft—both at the story level and at the sentence level?

• Do you want to check whether you’ve chosen the most ideal point of view(s) and tense(s) for your story, and whether you’ve kept to them consistently all the way through?

• Do you want to find out whether the structure of your novel is solid and well paced—beginning, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution? 

• Are you unsure whether your characters are three-dimensional enough? Likable? Relatable? Consistent? Whether the character arcs are well matched to the plot?

• Are you wondering whether your chapters are too long? Too short? Too many characters? Not enough? Too many subplots? Not enough?

• Do you want a professional’s opinion on whether you have a good balance between action, dialogue, and inner monologue?

• Are you wondering whether your story’s main themes, symbols, and message come across the way you intended? Whether readers will “get the point?”

• Could you use pointers on recurring sentence-level issues—grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, style, paragraphing, dialogue formatting, etc.?

• Do you want an outside perspective on any blind spots you might have about your work that will prevent you from connecting to your readers and telling a meaningful, memorable story? 

Not sure if the Manuscript Critique is right for you?

If you aren’t sure which kind of editing will best serve your novel, feel free to get in touch and I’ll gladly provide you with guidance.

Genre Specializations

I’m likely to be a good creative fit for your book if it falls under one of these categories:

• YA & MG fiction

• Children’s books

• Graphic novels & visual storytelling

• General fiction (coming of age, relationships, romance)

• Speculative fiction (fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, dystopian)

• Creative nonfiction (memoir, travel, art, dance, music, nature, health & wellbeing)

Don’t hesitate to reach out and describe the genre and premise of your book, and I’ll give you my honest opinion on whether I would be the best editor for the job. If I don’t think we would make a great fit, I’ll happily recommend an editor who may be better suited to your work.