Editing
I critique short stories, creative nonfiction, and novels (parts or the whole). I provide honest, insightful feedback, and I hold your work to a high standard. But I am here to help not to tear you down. I believe an effective editor must keep his own ego out of his critiques, and so I do everything I can to cater to your needs and to your vision, and to provide feedback that will help you create the most powerful, most moving story possible. Inquire for my availability.
Line-level Editing
Line-level editing is about tightening up your prose at the sentence level, but not commenting on the story itself. I focus on polishing sentences, condensing, commenting on wording, improving rhythm, and pointing out inconsistencies in voice. In addition, I can do as much proofreading as you'd like (grammar, spelling, and punctuation).
Developmental Feedback
In developmental feedback I examine the story, but I try to stay away from line-level editing. I look at the story's pacing, its characters, its structure and movement, its plotting, and whether it is engaging and emotionally moving. For novels, I typically write a chapter-by-chapter assessment as well as a holistic assessment. A novel usually comes to about $0.015/word or between $4 and $5 per page.
Comprehensive Critiques
Comprehensive critiques combine line level editing and developmental feedback. This is the most thorough and most helpful kind of critiquing, and it constitutes the vast majority of the critiquing I do for short stories and chapters. Novelists with whole novels tend to go for developmental feedback. I generally work at an hourly rate, but it amounts to about $7-10 a page.
Note: I'm currently booked out until early 2024 with full-manuscript edits. I can do smaller jobs before then, but fulls will have to join the queue, which tends to be about 10 months long.
Questions or Concerns?
I understand how daunting it can be to entrust your writing to an editor you may not know personally. I feel it's important that we are both comfortable with one another. So I'm happy to meet via video conference before you make your decision on whether to put your work in my hands. I will approach you and your work professionally and respectfully, and I will provide a contract for us both to examine carefully before undertaking the project. Keep in mind that it may sometimes be weeks or months before I can get to your work, depending on my current queue of edits.
What my clients are saying
Dorothea Buckingham
ALA Best Book for Young Adult selection for Staring Down the Dragon
"Tim has been like an MFA mentor to me. He has supported me through the rough spots and the weltschmerz. He respects my work and doesn't try to alter it, but he pushes me toward better storytelling by teaching craft and having me apply it to my work. His approach is academic and practical, and I often think he knows my story better than I do. He’ll listen and make your work your best work."
Kristin Oakley
Award-winning Author, Carpe Diem, Illinois and God on Mayhem Street
"I am amazed at the number of aha moments I had when I read Tim’s comments throughout my manuscript. He clearly articulated what I had intended to write and then demonstrated how I could communicate those intentions effectively using my own unique voice. Tim is respectful and patient, always taking the time to listen to and thoroughly answer my questions and address my concerns. He loves helping writers hone their craft, making it a true joy to work with him."
Jim Trainor
Author, 68 and 4 other novels
"I was able to effectively tackle the substantial revision required of my manuscript with Tim’s clear and through identification of everything from typos to thematic issues. Tim provided teaching and insight that guided me toward fixing the problems, and, moreover, becoming a better writer. Tim never sugar-coated the issues, yet it was always clear that he was cheering me on and wanted me to succeed—I was left encouraged and excited about charging ahead. I highly recommend Tim Storm’s excellent work. I could not have hoped for more."