Joy Lynn Goddard
Services
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Looking for another set of eyes to bring your book to life? I can help. Or maybe your characters already walk off the pages and you simply need someone to point out the errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation before you send your manuscript to an agent or publisher. I can help with this too. As a teacher for more than twenty-five years, a blogger, a journalist and an author, who has been published traditionally as well as self-published, I have helped hundreds of young and not-so-young writers to develop or polish their creations. And I can help you, too!
MASTER EDITING
In Master Editing, I’ll identify and analyze strengths and weaknesses in your writing and provide suggestions for improvement in the following categories:
Characterization
Are your characters believable? Appealing? Engaging? Is the dialogue forced?
Plot
Is your story strong? Does it make sense? Is your conflict compelling? Does your conflict resolve? Are there any holes in your plot?
Themes
Is your broad message clear? Do events support your minor and major themes?
Narration
Is there an identifiable point of view? Is it consistent? Are there areas in the story that are underdeveloped or overdeveloped? Drag? Does the order of events make sense? Is the story narrator effective?
Pacing
Consistent pacing is all about the balance between action and reaction. Conflict and consequence. Does your story have consistent pacing?
Structure
Do your scenes progress smoothly from event to event? Is your story well organized?
Reader Engagement
Does the beginning of your story hook the reader? Does the ending satisfy the reader?
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Master Editing includes proofreading to improve clarity, punctuation, grammar, spelling and word choice in the manuscript.
EDITORIAL REVIEW
In Editorial Review, I’ll read your book with eyes on plot, characterization, narration, themes, structure and dialogue without pulling apart sentences or analyzing the language. Afterwards, I’ll provide you with a written summary of the evaluation.
It’s a quick read that’s helpful when a writer is worried about overall story appeal.
COPY EDITING
In Copy Editing, I’ll check your manuscript for sentence clarity and structure, word choice and repetitions, consistency and continuity, as well as flow and awkward phrasing.
In addition, I’ll examine questions such as the following:
Do chapters begin and end with effective prose?
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Are transitions smooth between scenes and paragraphs?
Does dialogue sound believable?
Is it easy for readers to identify speakers?
Are sentence lengths and structures varied?
Where are awkward paragraphs and sentences?
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If prose is stilted, how can it be improved?
Finally, I’ll proofread your writing to identify errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar.
PROOFREADING
When proofreading your manuscript, I’ll point out mistakes in spelling (along with words that are spelled right but used in the wrong context), punctuation, grammar and sentence construction as well as help with rewording.