Services
IMPORTANT: My schedule is currently full. Bookings now open for 2025. Join LOST THE PLOT? to find out about new availabilities, workshops & retreats.
Want ongoing feedback & accountability?
Explore my Write Your Novel Mentoring.
work-in-proGRess
Want to get your novel into tip-top shape?
Explore my Editing & Assessment services
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WRITE YOUR NOVEL MENTORING
Working with a mentor can be beneficial for a writer at any stage of the creative process. I have mentored and tutored hundreds of writers and I know what techniques help people write, edit and finish a book - whether they be a 'plotter' or a 'pantser'.
I coach writers to find their story and unique style, build strong characters and plot, and a compelling story arc.
I also help keep them accountable for meeting their writing goals in a way that suits their needs and deadline and is much more customised than you receive in a creative writing course.
In my experience, all novelists benefit from some level of planning, then writing and rewriting where necessary, until they have a ‘crappy but complete draft’ of their novel that can be read by others. The trick is knowing how to undertake this involved process so you get to the end of the book and don’t get lost or unmotivated along the way.
I offer a combination of expertise in editing and teaching creative writing, as well as manuscript assessment, and aim to fully support you in structuring and writing a draft of your story that is not word or scene perfect, but it is COMPLETE and ready for me to do a big picture edit and manuscript assessment.
What’s the benefit to me?
>>> You get to hone your writing craft with specific feedback from a professional editor on your scene writing.
>>> Learn how to write chapters that raise stakes and progress story so there are no flat spots in the narrative.
>>> Develop realistic and compelling characters.
>>> Write with both plot, character and emotional arcs, and theme in mind.
I'll progress you to the end of the book without getting hung up on making everything on the page ‘right’. Until you have a full draft, I would argue that you don’t know what is worth perfecting, what is worth cutting, or what needs rewriting/further development!
All of this leads to the best feeling of all… A FINISHED FIRST DRAFT! You will be one of the few people who can say they wrote a novel.
Depending on your budget and needs, I can be involved as much or as little as you would like. My services are individualised. Together we tailor a plan for the combination of editorial and coaching services you need to progress towards a finished novel. This can involve practical mentoring, editing of pages and me helping keep you accountable for meeting agreed timelines.
Interested?
Maya Linnell
Bestselling rural fiction author
Kelly provided wonderful advice during the second draft of my novel 'Wildflower Ridge'. Her structured approach and strong grasp of captivating plot lines helped amplify pressure and create tension throughout the book. As well as loving what she does, Kelly is enthusiastic about helping writers get the best out of their work. Nothing was ever too much trouble, no question too trivial. Kelly was happy to work at whichever pace I set and became a friend as well as a thoughtful and professional editor.
Editing & Assessment
My point of difference as a coach is I have a natural ability to see what an author is trying to say and to help them say it better. And because I am both a writing teacher and an editor, I can explain how to improve your story and scene writing in a practical, easy to implement way while also building your confidence and self-belief in your unique writing goals.
Whether you want to see your book on the shelf next to JK Rowling or Liane Moriarty, or write the stories in your heart to the best of your ability, I can help you find a process that works for you. I become a cheerleader for my clients and it’s my job to not just help you meet your goals, but to ensure you experience fun and inspiration along the way.
You only get one chance to grab a reader.
When it comes to publishers, this is especially true. They are more risk adverse than ever. If you send your work off for consideration before the story and writing are the best they can be – and they pass, then that is a publishing house you can’t approach with this book again.
Editing Services
I offer a complimentary sample line edit of 600 words for new clients and am always happy to have a chat about your project to see if we are a good match.
There are different forms of editing and all play a vital role in writing a book. What a lot of people think of as EDITING is about changing or cutting words, consistencies, and correcting spelling and grammar – but this is only one part of the picture. And, to be honest, there is not much point in looking at that until you have assessed the manuscript as a whole. People buy books for riveting stories not for the grammar.
I can work with you at any part of the novel writing process, so if you have written and edited a draft of your book and are not sure if the story is working, then this is when you get a Manuscript Assessment or Developmental Edit.
Even if you have already had it assessed elsewhere or by Beta readers, but are now too close to the latest version of it, a Manuscript Assessment or Developmental Edit can help take your book to the next level of professionalism.
If you have had this level of editing and assessment done already then you might be looking for a Line and Copy Edit to make the words as good as they can be before you send the manuscript to an agent or publisher. Or maybe you are self-publishing and so need the manuscript word perfect and professional before it goes to a proof-reader. That would involve a line and copy edit.
Manuscript Assessment
Whether you start with a Manuscript Assessment versus a Developmental Edit will depend on your budget, timeline, AND how you work and process feedback best. Both will give you professional advice on the big picture and how the story and writing can be improved. Here, I look at the overall structure, content and style of your manuscript, and this service involves one full read of the manuscript.
A Manuscript Assessment will tell you what is working with your book as well as where the opportunities for improvement are. It will provide broad recommendations for how to proceed, but the report doesn’t have the detail of a Full Developmental Edit Report. I still give you recommendations for how to fix the issues and writing areas that require improvement but I don’t spend as much time thinking about it, and how to make it the best it can be.
This service suits those on a tight budget or a faster timeline, and assumes you have the confidence for shorter, more opportunity/recommendation focused reports. The Manuscript Assessment also complements my mentoring services because if you are unclear how to do your redrafting after the follow up zoom call, we can work out a practical way forward for you to implement the recommendations with my support and guidance.
ALL MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENTS COME WITH A FOLLOW UP PHONE CALL TO DISCUSS THE FEEDBACK.
Developmental Editing
A Full Developmental Edit is similar to a Manuscript Assessment (MA). However, it has more detail and time spent analysing the manuscript for specific recommendations or advice on restructuring. I look at all the aspects mentioned in the MA but I might re-read parts of the manuscript or even read it twice.
As with a MA, I work with your manuscript as a complete story - assessing structure, story logic, characters, dialogue, plot holes, pace, suggestions for page and scene rewrites, and advice on how you are fitting into your chosen genre. I’ll also advise if the manuscript length or word choices are suitable for the target audience and note the opportunities in your writing style and scene craft. I look at aspects, like: Is the story interesting? Is your language clear and appropriate for the desired reader? Is the middle too slow? Do the motivations of the characters make sense? Is the ending satisfying? Is there a discernible thematic argument? These are all common issues when one tries to write something as long and challenging as a novel.
You will receive a detailed professional editorial report of strengths, opportunities and recommendations for how to optimise the manuscript and your writing and scene craft. This service is comprehensive and I offer specific recommendations for how you could redraft for a more professional and engaging manuscript.
COPY & LINE Editing
After you know your story is as good as it can be, it’s time for the Line and Copy Edit. This is the last part of the process before the proofread (I don’t offer this service but I can recommend someone). It is not focused on the structure of the book or the characters or pace. It is about the writing at scene level.
I correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalisation, typos, word usage, repetition and fluency, and point out style, voice, language level, POV and syntax issues. Line editing also includes advising where text may need to be rewritten, where characters maybe sound the same and need further differentiation, and where you may be falling into bad writing habits, like summarising conflict rather than dramatising it.
Line editing is the art of writing. It goes beyond just grammar and accuracy and my goal is to elevate your writing so you develop a distinctive voice which allows your story to really shine at scene level — this is where micro-tension and emotion are found. If you don’t make the most of your writing and scene craft, a great story could fail to engage the reader. While this task is about the writing, if I see that a manuscript has major structural or story flaws – like the wrong tone for the genre or not high enough stakes, I will pause work and advise you to relook at the story before the job continues or consider a structural edit first.
What sets me apart as a line and copy editor is I have also taught scene writing for over ten years, so I am very good at helping people improve their craft and find their unique voice.