Hook, Arc, and Twist

• Is your plot plodding?
• Is your creative nonfiction dull…or maybe too creative?
• Is your protagonist uncertain what to do next?
• Are you sure your story starts on page one?

• Get candid and thorough feedback on your work.
• Cut through opinions from friends and workshop members.
• Jump-start your stalled writing.
• Bring out the best book in your book.
• Polish the manuscript you want to self publish or shop.

Hook, Arc, and Twist edits…
Literary fiction, genre fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir. My goal is to contribute to your manuscript while still reflecting your voice, intent, and skill. I offer the following types of critique and editing:

Manuscript Analysis – Ensure that your revision brings out the best book in your book. This is a 10-20 page deep evaluation of big-picture elements spanning the entire manuscript, pointing out key strengths and weaknesses, with examples of each. For fiction I analyze structure, point of view, character development, plot, pacing, chronology, scenes, dialogue, transitions, theme, genre, tone, and intended audience. For nonfiction, I analyze organization, scenic pace, development of thesis and argument, believability, clarity, language/tone, and intended audience. (This edit is sometimes known as a developmental edit or structural edit.) See my manuscript analysis sample.

Manuscript Feedback – This is approximately two pages of high-level feedback on genre, themes, structure, narrative health, characters, setting, believability, tone, and writing style. I evaluate the overall strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript but don’t reference actual examples or make recommendations. This option is great for writers mid-manuscript who want to make sure their vision is coming across clearly. It’s also a good first step if you’re not sure about a deeper Manuscript Analysis.

Developmental Editing – Evaluating or organizing a work in progress. May include creating outlines, chapter theses, character studies, plot charts, and chronology charts. It is helpful for first drafts that are, for some reason or another, not behaving and which may benefit from moving content, reworking characters or “revisioning” major aspects of the work. This can be a multi-draft relationship.

Line Editing or Substantive Editing – An actual line item edit of each manuscript page with recommendations on elements of sentence structure, word usage, distracting language tics, consistency, style, tone, transitions, basic spelling, and basic punctuation. The goal is to polish your writing style, not to apply the mechanics of copy-editing. Feedback is typically returned to you in two electronic files: one with color-coded notes and changes, the other prepared as a clean copy with integrated changes.

Contact me at…
editor at hookarcandtwist dot com or 617-230-7027