Services

Line Editing and Copyediting

  • Art & Art History

    Non-Fiction: Academic and popular consumption texts, exhibition catalogues, long- and short-form content, theses and dissertations. My academic background is in art history (PhD) and I’m fluent in “art-speak”, though (full disclosure) I’m not a fan of heavy critical methodology.

    Fiction: If your novel is about an artist, is set in the art world, or otherwise has to do with art, drop me a line!

    (Image: Still Life with Book, Richard Diebenkorn. Oil on canvas, 1958)

  • Equestrian

    Fiction and Non-Fiction: I’ve always loved horses, and I now have one of my own. Anything to do with horses piques my interest, and I’m knowledgeable in the field. Editing for both long- and short-form content.

    If your novel has even a whiff of horse, bring me along for the ride!

    (Image: my guy.)

  • Romance

    Ahh, romance! I read extensively in the genre, so I’m familiar with romantic tropes and reader expectations. A little spice is nice, but three-alarm-fires aren’t my thing.

    (Image: Frederick William Burton, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864. National Gallery of Ireland)

Manuscript Evaluation

A manuscript evaluation provides professional feedback on your manuscript. When you choose to have a manuscript critique done, you will receive an overall assessment of your text that addresses strengths and weaknesses in plot, pacing, characterization, clarity, and other narrative elements, and I will offer constructive criticism to help you with your writing. I make no corrections or edits to your manuscript at this stage, though I will likely suggest what kind of further editorial help would be most beneficial.

Here at Word Painter Projects I provide manuscript evaluation services for the same categories in which I edit: Romance, Equestrian, and Art & Art History (see above).

Please note that the manuscript critique is a precursor to professional editing, but takes place after you have completed some self-editing. Like beta reading, it is often used by an author to make sure they are on the right track for their intended audience, and to make adjustments to the manuscript prior to submitting to a developmental or other editor.

Authenticity Reading

Authenticity or accuracy reading ensures that, when you’re including content about a particular subject, it is correct and true-to-life. Inaccuracies in specialized content will throw readers who have knowledge in the area out of your story (or will at best annoy them), which you want to avoid.

Don’t let your horsey or artsy reader be pulled out of the story by inaccurate content!

I provide authenticity reading for Equestrian and Art & Art History content (fiction and non-fiction). Whether your manuscript has either of those subjects as a central theme, or has it as only a small portion of the text, I’m happy to read the full manuscript or just the relevant parts. (Note that there is a minimum fee for this service. Please see the Editing Fees page for details.)

Authenticity reading can happen at any stage of the revision and editing process, but it makes the most sense to do it after any developmental or structural editing takes place (in case any of the relevant material is edited out), and before sending the manuscript out for beta reading.

Content Writing

The best content informs, entertains, and/or inspires your readers, and my writing ticks all the boxes. My flair for research and facility with language ensures quality written content for your project. I’m available to write primarily art-related content, but other topics are considered. Feel free to inquire.