I have read voraciously and written constantly since I was a child. An MFA, a fellowship, a few grants, various writing groups, reading series and publications later, my love of language and a great story has only grown. It wasn't until I was reading full manuscripts at The Kimberley Cameron Literary Agency, though, that I found my joy linked with need. I love nothing more than to be handed a full manuscript and sent off to read it, comment on it and offer feedback--to the agent and author.
Kimberley Cameron Literary Agency received so many fantastic manuscripts and proposals--rich material paired with an author who had the writing chops to write the book--that we passed on. Why? Because, quite simply, so many authors send their manuscripts in long before they are ready. When I read from the slush pile, I fell in love with projects that I couldn't pass on to the agents I read for because the manuscript had major problems that needed to be worked out. Some of the most common problems were: a memoirist who hadn't developed full characters because she was unable to distance her characters from the people she knew in real life. A novelist with a gripping story who hadn't yet cut away the 'scaffolding'--the backstory and research that inform the novel. The scaffolding is information that the the author needs to know in great detail but which is only sprinkled through the book. A memoirist who was too close to the story he was telling that he wasn't able to create a sense that there was anything at stake in the manuscript. An essayist who told exactly what she had lived but hadn't connected her story to a universal meaning. A fiction writer who hadn't distilled the events in her short story. There were books that broke my heart to reject: I wanted to work on them, with the author, and turn them into the something magical that they promised.
As a freelance editor, I only take on projects that I believe I can help with, which is why I look at a work sample followed by a consultation to make sure the we are a good fit.
I also do ghostwriting and grantwriting/editing/coaching.
MANUSCRIPT EDITING OPTIONS:
1. YOUR FULL MANUSCRIPT/ESSAY/STORY. You've finished a draft or maybe seven and you're stuck. I'll give you feedback (what works and what doesn't) on global issues like structure, genre (yes, it happens), and plot to local issues of word choice, grammar and sentence structure.
2. COACHING: YOU HAVE AN IDEA, A START, AN OUTLINE. YOU'VE WRITTEN A PAGE OR THREE OR A CHAPTER OR TWO. I'll give you deadlines, writing prompts and exercises and feedback appropriate to where you are in your project and coach you through rough patches. I'll make sure that characters get fleshed out, that you develop a strong sense of place and time, that there is a sense of something at stake and tension to drive the arc. I'll be with you as you finish a solid draft of your manuscript in a timely manner (I say draft because your agent and then your editor will likely have you work through more drafts).
3. YOUR QUERY LETTER. So you've finished your book. You're ready to send it off. You're a writer; you know how to write. But there is so much wrapped up in a query letter--it is, after all, the first thing an agent sees of you and your work, the first chance for you to sell your book and authors often have a hard time writing them. I have seen so very many of them, I know what works and what doesn't. Work with me and I will help you write the best one to represent you and your book.
4. PERHAPS YOU ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY, poetry, maybe, a personal statement or some experimental hybrid but I don't address it above? Drop me a line, perhaps it is something I'd be delighted to help you with.
TESTIMONIALS:
"Michelle’s insight as a developmental editor is among the best I've seen," Elizabeth Kratch, literary agent at Kimberley Cameron and Associates
"Michelle Wallace isn't just a great editor. She's a spirit guide for budding writers, someone capable of bringing ideas and sentences into focus via careful observation, strategy, and finesse," Sam Sattin, author of Legend, The Silent End, The League of Somebodies.
"I just want to thank you for your hard work. You are worth every penny! As I read your feedback, I can feel the love and empathy of a friend and compassionate human being, but also the seasoned eyes of a well-read fiction reader, writer, and editor. I laughed out loud at several points while reading your notes to what I had actually written, and thought to myself: Thank God for Michelle! I needed to hear that," Lily Chien-Davis, author of two novels-in-progress.
Kimberley Cameron Literary Agency received so many fantastic manuscripts and proposals--rich material paired with an author who had the writing chops to write the book--that we passed on. Why? Because, quite simply, so many authors send their manuscripts in long before they are ready. When I read from the slush pile, I fell in love with projects that I couldn't pass on to the agents I read for because the manuscript had major problems that needed to be worked out. Some of the most common problems were: a memoirist who hadn't developed full characters because she was unable to distance her characters from the people she knew in real life. A novelist with a gripping story who hadn't yet cut away the 'scaffolding'--the backstory and research that inform the novel. The scaffolding is information that the the author needs to know in great detail but which is only sprinkled through the book. A memoirist who was too close to the story he was telling that he wasn't able to create a sense that there was anything at stake in the manuscript. An essayist who told exactly what she had lived but hadn't connected her story to a universal meaning. A fiction writer who hadn't distilled the events in her short story. There were books that broke my heart to reject: I wanted to work on them, with the author, and turn them into the something magical that they promised.
As a freelance editor, I only take on projects that I believe I can help with, which is why I look at a work sample followed by a consultation to make sure the we are a good fit.
I also do ghostwriting and grantwriting/editing/coaching.
MANUSCRIPT EDITING OPTIONS:
1. YOUR FULL MANUSCRIPT/ESSAY/STORY. You've finished a draft or maybe seven and you're stuck. I'll give you feedback (what works and what doesn't) on global issues like structure, genre (yes, it happens), and plot to local issues of word choice, grammar and sentence structure.
2. COACHING: YOU HAVE AN IDEA, A START, AN OUTLINE. YOU'VE WRITTEN A PAGE OR THREE OR A CHAPTER OR TWO. I'll give you deadlines, writing prompts and exercises and feedback appropriate to where you are in your project and coach you through rough patches. I'll make sure that characters get fleshed out, that you develop a strong sense of place and time, that there is a sense of something at stake and tension to drive the arc. I'll be with you as you finish a solid draft of your manuscript in a timely manner (I say draft because your agent and then your editor will likely have you work through more drafts).
3. YOUR QUERY LETTER. So you've finished your book. You're ready to send it off. You're a writer; you know how to write. But there is so much wrapped up in a query letter--it is, after all, the first thing an agent sees of you and your work, the first chance for you to sell your book and authors often have a hard time writing them. I have seen so very many of them, I know what works and what doesn't. Work with me and I will help you write the best one to represent you and your book.
4. PERHAPS YOU ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY, poetry, maybe, a personal statement or some experimental hybrid but I don't address it above? Drop me a line, perhaps it is something I'd be delighted to help you with.
TESTIMONIALS:
"Michelle’s insight as a developmental editor is among the best I've seen," Elizabeth Kratch, literary agent at Kimberley Cameron and Associates
"Michelle Wallace isn't just a great editor. She's a spirit guide for budding writers, someone capable of bringing ideas and sentences into focus via careful observation, strategy, and finesse," Sam Sattin, author of Legend, The Silent End, The League of Somebodies.
"I just want to thank you for your hard work. You are worth every penny! As I read your feedback, I can feel the love and empathy of a friend and compassionate human being, but also the seasoned eyes of a well-read fiction reader, writer, and editor. I laughed out loud at several points while reading your notes to what I had actually written, and thought to myself: Thank God for Michelle! I needed to hear that," Lily Chien-Davis, author of two novels-in-progress.
