Critique and Editing Services

From time to time I am asked to provide Critique and Editing Services to other writers. This gives me an opportunity to both help other writers, and improve my own writing at the same time. As I said to a fellow writer recently: "I am critical of your use of passive sentences precisely because I am so guilty of it myself. When I point them out to you, it is really a way to become better at spotting them in my own work."

Below you'll find a few of the responses I've received regarding my feedback:

• Great advice, and you're right. The more I write the more I'm getting a hang of how the "flow" should go.
• Thanks for your support. It's nice to get constructive feedback. I think I need to work on more of the physical details but I always feel too wordy when I describe too much and am afraid of boring a reader. I guess finding a good balance is key.
• I sincerely appreciate the thought and effort you put into your critiques. Thanks for your time. You're dead-on about the delayed start, Eric. I shot for quirky without a clear sense of direction and I didn't fully clean up my meandering.
• I really appreciate the helpful comments - these are what I call a critique!
• Wow...thanks, Eric. That was one of the very best critiques I've ever received, here or anywhere else! Right on about the cliche. I didn't give it any thought when I wrote it. I usually avoid cliches but...well, sometimes they seem to be right, to fit. LOL...I sure didn't know that pigs don't sweat much. Now, I'm going to look it up and find out why! Thanks, again...very much.
• Thanks, Eric for the detailed critique. I can see a lot of sense in a lot of what you say. I know I have a tendency toward passive sentence construction, and no matter how hard I try it still sneaks in.
• I think you've given me a lot to think about and pointed me in the direction of improving this chapter, which is very much appreciated.

The goal with any editing or critiquing is to make the work more appealing to a wider audience. For writers, revision of our work is an art form, and one that is meant to craft the best possible story. This makes us more publisher-ready, and helps our readers enjoy our work more, even if it is never professionally published. Because, after all, isn't that why we write: so someone, somewhere, someday will read it?

I'm open to providing Critique and Editing Services to other writers. A good critique takes time, and it can be a bit painful, but if used properly, it will help move the writing to the next level.

Critiques and Edits come in various shapes and sizes. The three that most readily come to mind are:

• Light Critique and Edit: Gives a general critique of the work, points out major flaws in story structure, character development, plot points, point of view inconsistencies, and the like, while providing feedback on major errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. As with any good critique, it should also point out the work's strengths and offer suggestions on how to magnify those strengths.
• Heavy Critique and Edit: Takes the approach above, but offers a more detailed view. Where a light critique and edit will typically run from one to two pages, a heavy critique will often run in excess of five pages, with a much more specific format. Less generalization, more specifics.
• Line Critique and Edit: This is the most intensive format: line-by-line, page by page. Every thought that comes to mind on how to improve the manuscript.

If you wish to explore a critique and edit relationship with me, please contact me via email, Facebook, LinkedIN, or SmallerIndiana. We'll talk about what you are hoping to accomplish, and see if I can be of help. My rates are reasonable, but I do have to balance this work with other available work.