Development Editing

editAn Overall Review of the Writing

  • You have a completed manuscript, or well-drafted work in progress (fiction or creative non-fiction e.g. memoir, travelogue, biography etc) or one or more short stories, and would like a close professional reading of it.
  • You can expect detailed feedback including notes on strengths and weaknesses in: premise, plot, structure, pacing, characters, setting, dialogue, and the potential marketability of your work.
  • You will also receive practical advice on how to make improvements to the manuscript.

Initial Read-through and Comments 

  • A 'mini' version of the overall review (above) more suitable for early drafts or if you are 'stuck' with how to proceed.
  • You will receive broad comments about the structure, characters, plot and themes etc.
  • You can also expect practical advice on how to make improvements to the manuscript and/or continue with it.

Content Editing

A line by line examination of the writing

  • You have at least 3 chapters (negotiable) of a fiction or creative non-fiction manuscript, or one or more short stories to be reviewed
  • You would like detailed line-by-line editing of the story including feedback on the good and not so good, and the flagging of possible errors
  • You will expect: insights into dialogue, characterisation, point of view, motivation and options of showing not telling
  • You will further expect: corrections for punctuation, capitalisation, sentence structure, grammar, spelling and checking of consistency in format
  • You would like suggestions on how best to revise your work for maximum readability

Synopsis

  • Designed for a 2-page synopsis (or another length you specify)
  • You will have completed your novel or work of creative non-fiction and have written or would like assistance to write a synopsis.
  • If you have not yet written your synopsis you will be offered guidance on how to start drafting it
  • You will then receive:
    • an overall evaluation of the effectiveness of your synopsis and its strengths and weaknesses
    • advice on issues of content, style, structure, format, grammar, spelling and punctuation
    • assessment of the extent it  articulates the value of your proposal, and might engage editors and agents?
    • comments on appropriateness to proposed target market
    • advice on a accompanying 'blurb' and/or brief 'pitch'.
  • You will also receive a clear idea of how to make any revisions

Query Letters

  • Designed for 1-page query letters to agents and / or publishers
  • You will be assisted to write a good query letter to accompany your completed manuscript
  • This will focus on your opening paragraph, your biographical information, the premise of the manuscript including the ‘hook’, your reason for approaching the agency in question and your closing statement

Mentoring

A wrap-around service

But what if you still feel that editing is not quite enough?  What if you’d like a metaphorical hand in yours as you write?  Someone to guide you with the process of the writing as you’re doing it?  That’s what WriteRight calls mentoring; you are the writer doing the work, I can be the person in the background who is supporting you with questions, comments and advice – including a built-in developmental and copy edit.  You might just be starting out with an idea, you might have a few thousand words written and have ground to a halt, you might have lost confidence towards the end.  Whatever stage you are at, mentoring works at your pace and concentrates on the issues you specify.  It is the ultimate wrap-around service - but it’s not a ghost-writing service.  This is still a form of editing but on a more intensive level.

Writing Courses

WriteRight offers a selection of short writing courses designed to support you in your own writing projects. With handouts, assignments, and one-to-one support and feedback over a set number of weeks, you’ll have the structure to meet your writing goals – whatever your ability and preferred genre.

With eight years’ experience of online courses, WriteRight is happy to develop an individual course to suit you, or you can choose from one of our most popular programmes:

Writing Shorts (Fiction /Creative Non-Fiction)

  • If you are just starting out, would like a refresher course, or simply some structure to get you writing regularly, ‘Writing Shorts’ fits the bill.
  • Suitable for writing flash fiction, short stories, essays and blogs.
  • Modules include: structure and style; writing prompts; plot, characterisation and dialogue (where applicable)
  • Choose from a 10 week or 6 week course.

Novel Writing 1

  • Taking you from your initial idea/theme or first few pages/chapters, NW1 will guide you towards visualising and completing your first draft.
  • You will receive weekly handouts, an assignment, tutor feedback and detailed comments.
  • Modules include: structure, plot, characterisation, setting, dialogue, style, and beginnings and endings.
  • Choose from a 10 week or 6 week course.

Novel Writing 2

  • If you are already working on a full length story and would benefit from some support, editorial (development and/or line) help, and deadlines, NW2 is ideal.
  • After an initial discussion about the work in progress, you will decide how many words you plan to submit each week or fortnight, and will receive detailed tutor feedback and comments on each piece of writing and how it fits with your overall novel.
  • Fees are dependent on how many words you choose to submit over your chosen period. Discounts calculated for block booked sessions of 6 week or more.

All courses commence to suit you (subject to availability). Contact is primarily via email, and Skype/Facetime if preferred.

The format of the Novel Writing 1 course is also adaptable to Life Writing or Memoir.