You’ve written a good story.
It’s a story you can’t put down—an idea that’s been swirling in your imagination for months or even years.
It’s full of characters you love. Characters whose transformative journeys show us something about what it means to be human.
And you’ve worked hard to make it as good as you possibly can.
But good isn’t good enough.
You want your story to be great.
Amazing, even.
More than anything, you want your readers to love your story.
To be unable to put it down.
To keep thinking about it long after they finish the final page.
To pass it on to all their friends because this book is amazing and they want everyone they know to rave about it with them.
So you’ve worked hard on your manuscript.
You take your writing craft seriously. This is no shitty first draft!
You’ve taken the courses.
You’ve read the books.
You’ve plotted your story with just about every writing methodology out there.
You’ve gotten feedback from writers’ workshops, critique partners, alpha readers, beta readers, all the readers you can find.
And you’ve taken all that learning and all those notes and self-edited your manuscript until you can’t think of a single other thing to change.
Maybe you’ve even hired professionals.
You’ve worked with a book coach. A developmental editor. A line editor.
They gave you feedback that sometimes helped. But sometimes it confused you—or worse, even contradicted itself.
The thing is, you still can’t tell if your story is working.
Will your readers love your book?
Well . . . you’re not sure.
If you’re honest, you feel like something is missing. Like there’s a gap between the books you love and the book you’ve written.
You just can’t tell what it is.
You know your story is good. But how do you make it great?
You need a storytelling expert
to help you refine your manuscript
into the amazing novel you know it can be.
That’s where I come in.
I help writers take good manuscripts and refine them into amazing books.
I’m a story nerd.
I’ve spent years studying what makes great stories work. Why do we love them? And more importantly, how do we create more of them?
I’m obsessed with finding the answers to these questions. Check out my training and experience here.
I’m an avid reader.
I read over fifty books a year. And when I finish a book I really, really love, I’ve been known to hug it, dance, cry, and shout, “YES! THIS! This is why I edit. More of this, please!”
I teach editing on the Your Next Draft podcast.
I believe every writer can learn the secrets of great storytelling. And I break the developmental editing process down into simple, actionable steps on my podcast, Your Next Draft.
I’m a bit of a perfectionist.
Why settle for a good story when we could tell an amazing one? Why write a story that makes readers say, “That was nice” when we could write one that makes them shout, “More of this, please!”
I want to help you craft your absolute best novel. Let’s make your readers dance, cry, shout, and hug your book.
What Writers Are Saying
Training and Experience
(aka, Why I Know What I’m Talking About)
Story Grid Certified Editor
Story Grid is a robust developmental editing methodology based on timeless story principles and decades of editorial experience in New York publishing. In 2017, I completed my Story Grid editor certification. I use Story Grid editing tools as well as tools from other methodologies to help writers craft their best stories.
Editor-in-Chief of The Write Practice
In 2016, I became the Editor-in-Chief of The Write Practice, an online writing community dedicated to helping writers grow. During my six years at The Write Practice, I coached writers, created writing courses and resources, judged sixteen short story contests, and edited dozens of books.
Writing Center Consultant
My professional editing career began in the Elon University Writing Center. As an English Literature major and Writing Center Consultant, I studied both literature and writing pedagogy. I advised students on writing projects ranging from English 101 essays to senior theses for four years until I graduated in 2014.