While my editing experience began before my studies on Royal Holloway’s Creative Writing MA, when avant-garde filmmaker Grace Schwindt hired me to edit her filmscripts, it was on the MA I learnt the deep value of feedback and of redrafting.

A lot of my students ask me for feedback and I want to say yes, but I do also have to earn money to eat! So I’ve started offering an editing service. It’s essentially an (exceptionally cheap) feedback service with an extra supportive lean; the idea being that after going through the redrafting process with me, clients will have learnt enough to become their own editors. The services I offer are as follows:

Developmental Assessment is one of the three types of feedback I offer, in which I read your entire manuscript and give you feedback on the overall shape, style, characters, storyline, causality, dialogue, world-building, pace and voice. I do this by phone, with you calling me at a prearranged time. I can offer my thoughts in notes as well as, or instead of, a phone call, but as notes take a long time to write up, they make the service more expensive. Also, it’s most effective if we can ask each other questions, so a phone chat tends to be the cheapest and most expedient option.

Line Notes are the second type of feedback I offer and generally follow on from a developmental assessment, once you’ve made any changes you want to make. Here, I focus on sentence structure, paragraph flow and ordering, repetition, consistency, point of view, tenses, fluidity, info dumps, grammar and punctuation, whilst also flagging issues with or errors in the plotting. This time, I offer my suggestions through Track Changes on your Word document that I then email to you, so you can decide which suggestions to accept and which to reject. (No need to worry if you’ve not used Track Changes before. It’s really easy and convenient and is included in Word.)

Proofreading solely for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors is the third, optional, feedback service I offer.

When choosing an editor, spend a little time researching. Many editors specialise in specific genres. Some won’t take newbie writers as clients, as a less polished manuscript can be more labour intensive to redraft. But becoming more polished is part of the learning process. I love working with newbie writers, where it’s my role to unearth your unique vision whilst I, through transparency, share the tools that will enable you to become your own editor, until you’re not a newbie writer any more.

The hourly rate I charge is exceptionally reasonable. Email me to discuss your creative writing project: whatgailwrote@gmail.com

2025: Opening Chapters to novel by Peter Jordan – Editor

2025: ‘Brothers’ short story by William Draycott – Editor

2024: ‘Maternal Ambivalence’ essay by Monica Cardenas – Beta Reader (Published in Lit Hub)

2024: Opening Chapters to novel by John Morrison- Developmental Assessment

2024: ‘Three Short Stories’written by William Draycott – Editor (Longlisted and Published)

2023: The Gospel Truth novel by Martyn Phippen – Developmental Assessment

2022: The Pursuit of the Inedible novel by Martyn Phippen – Developmental Assessment

2022: ‘What I Do Know’ short story by Monica Cardenas – Beta Reader (Published in Catatonic Daughters)

2022: ‘Two Halves Make Me Whole’ essay by Monica Cardenas – Beta Reader (Published in Litro)

2017: Bits & Pieces children’s animated television series by David Usher – Script Editor

2015: Fimbo stage play by Michael Crouch, Artistic Director at Creature Encounter – Script Editor

2013: Sick/Small/Early stage play by Sonali Bhattacharyya – Script Report (Developed and performed by Kali Theatre Company)

2013: “Only a free individual can create a free society” fine art feature film by Grace Schwindt – Script Editor (Commissioned by Film London Artists Moving Image Network & multiple galleries)

2012: Reading From a Ribbon performance art by Grace Schwindt – Script Editor (Commissioned by Void Gallery, Derry)

2012: Tenant fine art feature film by Grace Schwindt – Script Editor (Commissioned by Film London Artists Moving Image Network & Collective Gallery, Edinburgh)

2012: Glass and Honey performance art by Grace Schwindt – Script Editor (Commissioned by Collective Gallery, Edinburgh)

2011: The Signal performance art by Grace Schwindt – Script Editor (Commissioned by South London Gallery)

2010: Hiding fine art film by Grace Schwindt – Script Editor and Mentor (Commissioned by Gershwin Gallery, New York)