Editorial Consulting

Occasionally, I consult to others to help them on their own writing projects.

I take on such projects only when I believe there is a good fit between what the author is trying to say and my own interests, expertise, and experience.

It’s useful to think of this work in terms of the three stages of any writing project. In any given project, I can work on any or all of these stages.

Conceptualization:  defining and refining an article or book’s organizing concept and developing a detailed organizational structure and logic flow.  Conceptualization doesn’t have to be time consuming, but it is critical for any writing project.  The output of this stage is a detailed proposal to a magazine or book publisher.

Drafting: facing the blank page and getting to a first draft.  This is the most time-consuming of the three stages.  It also involves considerable iteration between myself and the author.  The output is a complete draft ready for submission to a magazine or book publisher.

Editing and revision:  synthesizing feedback from editors and other reviewers and developing and executing a revision plan.  Often, a manuscript will change substantially in the revision process.  The output of this stage is a final, publishable manuscript.