I am passionate about kindling creativity and doing what I can to help people connect with their inner spark that gets them inspired, and writing, and even when the going gets tough to keep writing. And then there comes the time when the writing is done, the magic words The End have been typed, and you raise a glass, say cheers to the process and congratulate yourself on reaching the peak. Then it is stand back time. Back we go down to the foothills of normal life. Let the work settle. Leave the novel alone for a while. Then after a month or so come back to it, read it…see it with fresh eyes, then the editing and redrafting begins. 

In terms of manuscript critique and mentoring, I would recommend that the initial critiquing is done by yourself. The writer is the first reader. And, with the shift in perspective that the time away from your novel gives you, you will doubtless gain an increasingly objective sense of whether the novel works and what needs to go, what needs to strengthen, etc. So, although I might be doing myself out of work here, I really recommend that the first eye over the story is the writer’s eye, and, remembering that author means to have authority over your story, the process of weighing up, deleting, adding and editing in this second draft stage likewise belongs to the artistic judgement of the author. What I am recommending is to stay with your creation a little longer. Enjoy the redrafting process. Apply some kind and clear reflection. Is the story working? If not, why not? Here is often where the ruthless red pen makes an appearance. Even great writing will need to go if it isn’t serving the story. And serving the story means – furthering the plot and/or revealing character. Everything in the novel needs to work in terms of supporting the central question that the novel is asking.

It is only after a second draft has been completed that I would recommend an outside eye. That’s where I can come in and read some, or all, of your novel. Then from my reading and considering give written feedback. It is not my job to interfere in your story, nor to change your story into something resembling my story, but to really honour your process, your writing, and as much as I can to intuitively connect with your characters, setting and plot and to give what I hope would be objective and supportive feedback. My feedback would respond to different areas,

• Do the characters stand out? Are they real and engaging? Do they all pull their weight and aid in carrying the story forward?

• Is the main character strong? Identifiable? Sufficiently challenged, motivated and active?

• Is the dialogue authentic? Is it well laid out and clear?

• Are settings and sense of place well established and evoked?

• Is the central problem of the novel clear and do the events and situations in the story align with this?

• Are levels of antagonism strong, well-drawn, and comparable in adversity to the protagonist?

• Is the writing well grounded in specifics and does the writing demonstrate a good proportion of drama over information?

• Does the writing serve the story well in terms of language, pace, sentence structure and general layout?

• Is time well handled and where there are flashbacks is the present time of the story well established and are flashbacks clearly bridged?

• Does the story display mounting tension, a strong climax and a strong ending?

These guidelines could be used by the writer themselves as a guide while working on their second draft. I would then use these pointers as objective criteria to be able to offer practical feedback. The feedback would usually be given in the form of track changes on Word or written into a word document.

FEES

I charge £40 per hour, or 1 pence per word, so for instance, a critique of 20,000 words would cost £200. Some manuscripts need more editing, some less. Where less editing is needed the hourly rate option is better. It may be that you would send the first 5,000 words as a starter. This would cost £50. (Or you may choose to ask for one hour’s feedback, in which case this would be £40.) Often the critique and feedback given over 5,000 words can be taken as a measure of feedback that would recur throughout the manuscript.

Feel free to get in touch using the form below with any queries you may have, or simply follow the link to pay then submit your writing as a Word document.