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Have you written something, put it out there, and then discovered content you can’t believe got past you? You know what you meant to say but you simply overlooked an issue. Perhaps your work in progress lacks something but you don’t know what. You only know you need an editor before you publish. You want someone to catch problems, smooth the flow, and bring it to publishable quality. How do you choose one editor over another? Look for experience and training but also consider the fit with your writing.
What makes me different from other good editors?
You have experienced the power of story. Think of The Diary of Anne Frank. Think of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Think of Steve Jobs and his iconic business. These embody the power of story. Story moves us, makes us want more, or inspires us to action. If you have chosen the written word as your platform, then you know that the power of story often drives the written word.
I have experience and training in the art of editing. But what makes me different from other good editors is bringing out the best of story in your writing. Storytelling actually affects the chemistry of our brains when we are gripped by the power of story. I assist you to make the best use of story in your writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, so you can be confident your work is publisher-ready.
I edit several kinds of writing—academic works, memoirs, web pages and blogs—but I find mystery fiction the most fascinating.
Mystery fiction generally includes crime or tragedy and often romance or fantasy but the great reveal keeps me reading to the end—the power of story.
To get to the great reveal, there is the matter of clues: genuine, false, and pivotal. Did you as author give enough clues for the reader to figure out whodunit? Did you misdirect from the truth? Or did you hide a clue so cleverly in plain sight that the reader doesn’t catch it?
And of course you don’t want your reader distracted with problems like inconsistency (brown eyes change to baby blues), delayed presentation of the mystery, flat characters, or perhaps a slow middle of the book. If these issues are addressed carefully, the reader will want to finish this book—and your next. This is where I can help.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering why the name Cypress Wind
To me, editing is most effective when it mimics the wind. You cannot actually see the wind but you do experience it. Similarly, your readers won’t see professional editing but they will experience a good read, unmarred by distracting errors or ambiguity in the text. You want your readers’ experience of your writing to affect them with the power of story. For fiction, this is the hallmark of good editing.Even your best writing will benefit from a different set of eyes to see things your eyes overlook. As an editor, I want your writing to be of publishable quality. I will protect your voice and set you free to approve every edit.
Want to know more? Find out About me.
“You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.” ~ Arthur Plotnik