Manuscript Read-Through

This first level of manuscript consultation is for writers who want broad, global feedback on a work in progress, whether a complete draft or a significant chunk, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the work in macro terms (is the story compelling and the point of view appropriate, are the characters convincing, does the narrative have tension and forward momentum, does the whole narrative hold together, what needs more attention?) rather than micro (a Full Manuscript Evaluation/Developmental Edit). A Read-Through is often useful for beginning writers to get early feedback and guidance, or for experienced writers who are looking for general input prior to their next draft of a work, but who don’t need more detailed analysis.

Think of a Read-Through as a big-picture assessment, a one-off consultation to get a sense of how you’re doing so far, and what to pay attention to as you continue.

A Read-Through entails a complete reading of your manuscript followed by a thorough, evaluative conference recorded in audio and transcription, to give a broader context for Kate's first-level, hard-copy annotations on the manuscript. Kate schedules conferences in 3-hour increments, and several conferences may be needed, depending on the length of the manuscript. Your conference with Kate will allow you to discuss her observations in broad and fine detail, ask questions, and talk about your vision for your work and how you can move forward.

A Manuscript Read-Through is the least expensive way to get Kate's feedback on your writing project, but it is also less comprehensive and granular than a Full Manuscript Evaluation/Developmental Edit.

Full Manuscript Evaluation/Developmental Edit

A Full Manuscript Evaluation/Developmental Edit is a more in-depth, detailed evaluation of a complete (or significantly far along) manuscript draft, as well as a comprehensive “road map” for the writer to follow in developing and revising the work to bring it to a higher level. A developmental edit (also called a content or substantive edit) delves deeply into the content of the work—its underlying narrative logic and scaffolding, its characters and their desires, the dramatic unfolding of layers of events and their meaning, the story's emotional arc (the inner story vs. the outer story), and how it all holds together—as well as the manuscript's surface or “scenery” and how it serves the content, in terms of line-by-line evaluation of craft issues specific to the work and its genre, such as the narrative's shape, perspective, characterization, forms of tension, use of sensory detail and imagery, retrospection, time and setting management, style and language, patterning and subtext…and technical mechanics such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, consistency, and formatting.

This service is for a work that you feel you’ve taken as far as you can, possibly through several drafts, but you know needs another round (or two...) and the fresh eyes of an experienced editor. This is also the service for manuscripts that have a "problem" that you either can't identify or haven't been able to fix. In tandem with a fully annotated manuscript on hard copy (using blue, green, or purple ink, not red!), making suggestions on the craft issues highlighted above as well as recommendations for cuts, changes, additions—from single words or phrases to deleting, rearranging, or introducing whole chapters and even characters—thorough manuscript conferencing with Kate will be your roadmap to follow as you continue to revise on your own. Conferences are typically deep, exhaustive conversations of several hours during which you will go over all of Kate’s observations and your questions, concerns, and ideas. Kate schedules conferences in 3-hour increments, and several conferences will likely be needed, depending on the length of the manuscript.

Other Consultation Services

Kate is happy to advise and work with you on your book concept, your writing practice, conference & residency opportunities, MFA programs and applications, agent queries and book proposals, magazine submissions, publishing, and the professional writing life in general.

She is also available to advise businesses, nonprofits and organizations on literary programming and any written content needs you may have.