First Editing Service
Get Help for Your Writing, Right Now
Are you thinking about getting an editor?
WELL, HERE’S THE PROBLEM: Editors expect completed manuscripts. By then, you’ve probably been practicing many of the common mistakes writers make.
That’s right. If you keep writing, making the same mistakes over and over, you’ve just been practicing what you should NOT be doing.
THE SOLUTION: Have First Editing Service provide a critique of your first page or first 10 pages. The edit will get you on the right path with your writing. It’s better to practice the right way than the wrong way.
[NOTE: If you have a completed manuscript, getting a professional edit of the first ten pages is a great way to help you understand how you can do more polishing on your own, even if you decide to eventually have the entire manuscript edited.]
Get Valuable Feedback at Reasonable Rates
Your writing deserves professional eyes on your manuscript. Your story warrants the best. You’ll be amazed how a suggestion here, a nudge there, moving a sentence from the third page to the opening can help your prose sing. Once you have a strong start, you’ll find the rest of the writing path is easier to traverse.
You can use our First Editing Service anytime, but consider using it right now so that you will have a clearer idea of how to get to where you want to be with your writing.
Here’s what a FIRST EDITING SERVICE client recently wrote to us:
I especially appreciate your line by line critique. I have received many critiques stating that I’m not displaying enough emotion in what is a emotionally charged subject. Your critique helps me see this criticism clearly and shows me how to make the adjustments needed. … Thank you again for coming alongside me to help me see how to better share our story. E.M.
First Editing Service Fees:
First Page: $ 50
First 10 Pages: $199
Choose the number of pages you want edited and then click on the Buy Now button.
What Will the Editor Do?
Rather than writing and writing and writing and then eventually getting a professional edit that may take you back to the beginning of the process, we:
— Give you a heads up about the strengths and weaknesses of your approach
— Point you in the right direction to elevate the quality of your writing
— Provide feedback on how you’re introducing your story
— Evaluate your hook
— Help you sharpen your thinking and writing
— Make sure you are connecting with your readers
— Find the thread of your story (or if it is missing, suggest how you can find and develop it)
— Comment on the pacing of your story
— And more
Here’s what another FIRST EDITING SERVICE client said:
Your edit is so helpful. I don’t know how to tell you how much I appreciate your advice. I read through [your comments] and knew right away you are right on point. … I appreciate so much your help with our book! J.C.
And Who Will Edit? Meet Pamela Jane — Your Personal Editor
I feel honored to work with Pamela. I see the quality of her work month after month and know she’ll get you on the right path for your writing journey. Want more details?
Pamela Jane writes for WomensMemoirs.com. We’re in the processing of putting together an e-book of her 100 Best Tips for Memoir Writers. You probably recognize her name as the inspiration (and hard work) behind the highly successful FIRST PARAGRAPH CONTEST on WomensMemoirs this year. We had so much interest that Pamela is considering making it an annual event.
But Pamela is more than a regular guest blogger. She has published thirty books with Houghton Mifflin, Atheneum, Simon & Schuster, Avon, Penguin-Putnam, Harper, and others. Her books include Noelle of the Nutcracker, illustrated by Jan Brett, which has been optioned for a film. Many of her books have been featured in the Scholastic Book Club, and have gone into big book, e-book, CD and foreign language editions. Her most recent children’s book, Little Goblins Ten illustrated by NY Times best-selling illustrator, Jane Manning (Harper) received a starred review from Kirkus and was reviewed in The New York Times. Little Elfie One, the sequel to Goblins, will be out in 2015 (Harper).
Pamela’s new book for adults, Pride and Prejudice and Kitties, was featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and BBC America, among other places. The Daily Dot wrote: “Forget zombies, Jane Austen + kitties = brilliance,” while ALA Booklist said, “We give you Jane Austen and cats, and that means we’re in it for the long haul.”
Pamela’s memoir has just been published to rave reviews — An Incredible Talent for Existing
And on a personal note, Pamela lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter, and their cat, Noelle. Like Jane Austen, she is a desperate walker, and unlike Jane a very bad piano player.
To hire Pamela as Your Personal Editor, choose the number of pages you want edited and then click on the Buy Now button.
BONUS: Once Pamela is notified of your purchase, She’ll send you her 5 Tips on Writing Your Synopsis and the details of how to submit your first page or first 10 pages.
And another FIRST EDITING SERVICE client wrote:
I wanted to thank you for your insightful editing comments on the first page of my memoir along with the synopsis. … In terms of the memoir page, your comments actually solved a dilemma for me as I have toyed with the beginning for a while. I like the solution you offered and made the change you recommended in the order of the paragraphs and presto, problem solved! So thanks so much! M.G-W.
Are You Asking Yourself If You Need an Editor?
Every writer needs an editor. This is true of professional writers. This is true of occasional writers. WHY an editor? Here are just 10 of the problems that writers face and editors can help clarify:
Problem #1. Writers get overly fond of metaphors, even failing to notice when they get tangled up with each other.
Pamela catches this in the FIRST 1 or 10 PAGES, and puts you on the right road.
Problem #2. Writers want to start at the beginning, even when that part doesn’t engage the reader. Back story can always come later, but we fail to notice.
Pamela provides feedback on your apparent story structure and your opening.
Problem #3. Writers become lazy with word choices…after all we’re too busy getting the story written.
Pamela highlights words that don’t match your meaning and suggests alternatives.
Problem #4. Writers engage in too much telling and not enough showing.
This is one of the most serious problems for writers and Pamela suggests ways to create scenes that sizzle.
Problem #5. Writers wander in tenses…is the story being told in present tense or past tense and can the reader follow?
Pamela catches problems in tenses and makes suggestions for you to consider.
Problem #6. Writers often don’t notice when they repeat words and phrases, rendering the writing trite rather than tight.
Pamela provides that extra set of eyes to point out repetitions that don’t contribute to your prose.
Problem #7. Writers use fill-in words and sentences that don’t move the story forward or contribute to a scene. This makes the writing flat.
Pamela suggests ways for you to get from Point A to Point B in your story without using filler material.
Problem #8. Writers rely on empty adverbs.
Pamela helps clarify which of your adverbs contribute to your writing and which ones are unnecessary. [NOTE: I would have said “totally unnecessary” but Pamela would have suggested that I leave out the adverb “totally.”]
Problem #9. Writers create dialogue where every character sounds like every other character, but each person is unique and should sound that way.
Pamela evaluates your dialogue and may suggest places where it doesn’t help to reveal the speaker.
Problem #10. Writers produce flabby stories by using “to be” words (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) when active verbs would provide much needed muscle.
I am absolutely certain … (oops, Pamela the Editor hovers over my right shoulder and reminds me that the “to be” word and the adverb are standing in the way of moving my explanation forward.) Let Pamela edit your first page or first 10 pages and as you continue writing post-edit, her suggestions will continue to enhance your writing.
It’s not all about suggesting changes. Pamela will also highlight your strengths so that you can emphasize those as you continue to write.
Sign Up Now to Grab a Place on
Pamela’s FIRST EDITING calendar.
Just choose FIRST PAGE or FIRST 10 PAGES option and click on Buy Now.
We’ll send you Pamela’s Tips on Writing a Synopsis of your memoir as well as details on what to submit for the edit. You don’t need to send the material until you’re ready. You have up to six months.
And another FIRST EDITING SERVICE client wrote:
I want to thank you for your brilliant comments on my manuscript. I know that I am, at times, too close to the story and can lose the perspective of the reader. After all, he or she was not along for the journey! –C.L.
