Polished Prose for Authors of Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Memoir

Welcome!

Magic happens

. . . when stories transport readers beyond the familiar, so they can explore other worlds, contemplate new ideas, and vicariously experience different lives.

Polishing Prose

Your stories will take flight as I help you, the writer, camouflage the underpinnings of your prose, so that readers become engrossed by your narrative rather than distracted by any mistakes.

I specialize in editing fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir, and I edit prose mindfully and respectfully—mindful that writing and editing are an art and respectful of your voice and vision.

Championing Writers

Wherever you are on your writerly journey—independently or traditionally publishing, just embarking or well under way—I strive to smooth and accelerate your passage by offering kind, constructive comments and editorial expertise.

We—the writer and editor—work together as a team to polish your prose so you can publish your best.

Learn more about my copyediting and developmental editing services. Questions? Contact Colleen!

Copyediting

Copyediting repairs errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage, syntax, and grammar. Going beyond proofreading, which involves identifying only typos, copyediting ensures correctness, consistency, clarity, and coherency by implementing a consistent formatting style, such as Chicago or AP, to enhance readability. Depending on the condition of your manuscript, I may do some of or all the…

Developmental Editing–Fiction

Developmental editing for fiction focuses on the big picture and strives to pinpoint narrative pitfalls while preserving the author’s voice and vision. For this type of edit, I examine elements such as characterization plot setting dialogue theme pacing conflict tension voice point of view A developmental edit takes place after you have completed your manuscript…

Read more Developmental Editing–Fiction

Collaborative Process

Contact me with this form. Tell me all about your project, including what type of editing you think will help most. I respond with questions, such as, who is your audience? How many drafts have you written of this manuscript? If you seek a copyedit for a large project, I will request your document, so…

M. P. Cooley, author of Ice Shear and Faint Trace

Colleen always met the deadlines for her proposed schedule and edited with an attention to detail. Her style sheet was also very helpful to keep track of ideas and characters and general feedback. Colleen is very thorough with her edits. She not only checks for grammatical correctness, but also checks for consistency, readability, and style. [Her queries and comments] brought up ideas that I missed when I was writing the manuscript and brought my writing to a higher level overall.