I work in as many different ways with students/writers as there are stories. Here is Frost’s take on our work together:
Recommendation for Mary Sojourner
I hired Mary to edit line-by-line my 400 page book Shakespeare and the Mystery of Richard III. I thought my novel was in good shape, but needed help in getting it to the next stage to send to literary agents. Obviously I was delusional as I Iook back at all the work Mary had me do. Here are the many ways she helped:
- She’d point out that the motivation of a character didn’t make sense. While the reason may have seemed apparent to me, I hadn’t put it down on the page.
- Gaps in the plot. The full story was in my head, but not on the page.
- I’d neglected to show important scenes and instead only told about them.
- Don’t tell – Show. Relates to above, but also applies to character’s feelings and the reaction of others to their actions.
- She was murder on trite phrases and clichés. She could spot them a mile away.
- She made me rework awkward or confusing sentences or jokes only I thought were funny.
- When I did write well, she noticed and praised me.
It was hard work that was ultimately worth it. I would recommend Mary Sojourner to anyone who wants to raise their writing several levels. Your end result is a well-written piece that you can take pride in.
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