editing by
carolyn wilson-scott

your words, at their best

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About Carolyn

Editing with a writer's eye

I've been passionate about story for as long as I can remember. I began my career as a high school English and creative writing teacher, before becoming an editor at the literary journal Oyster River Pages. I've been privileged to work with hundreds of writers on thousands of projects since 2004, always with the goal of elevating each piece to its highest potential.

I'm also a writer myself, with fiction, reviews, and critical work published in Valparaiso Fiction Review, Aquila Review, The Main Street Rag, Valley Voices: A Literary Review, Foreword Books, and more. I hold a BA in English and an MA in Education from Stanford University.

When I'm not immersed in all things literary, you can find me enjoying good food, live theater, and the natural beauty of northern Michigan.

“Carolyn provided a perfect balance of encouragement, direction, and energy to make me more productive while substantially improving my work. She's an incredibly thoughtful reader who brings a deep, writerly understanding of structure, character and plot to her feedback — but at her core, she just loves good writing and wants more of it in the world. She's an honest, respectful, and engaged creative partner who notices everything and asks the right questions. Carolyn's input identified what I was doing right and where I needed to focus my revision efforts, and it was a privilege to have her on my side in the writing process.”

—Flynn Waters

“Carolyn's attention to detail and keen insight makes an incredible difference in every project she touches. I have worked with her on a variety of works, both long and short form. In every instance she excels at helping writers deepen their narratives, tighten their plot points and ultimately shine brighter. Her manner of working with others is engaging and thoughtful. At every step she welcomes feedback even as she is gently providing critique. The compassionate way she approaches each work is humbling, and writers of all levels would be lucky to have her in their corners!”

—Johanna Garton, author of Awakening East, Edge of the Map, and All In Stride

“Carolyn has provided excellent editorial support for my manuscripts over the years, helping with individual chapters as well as finished projects. Carolyn has incredible insights into how the manuscript comes together in terms of the threads of character, theme, plot, conflict and pacing. She brings her expertise to the manuscript, noticing gaps and providing viable solutions that connect well with my intentions as a writer. Her feedback is always kind, warm, and fully engaged with the work in front of her, noticing the writer's genre and direction, and working with that scope. In particular, Carolyn helped me see an essential point of view shift in my manuscript and encouraged me to believe in aspects of the work that I was unsure about. I highly recommend Carolyn as a manuscript editor.”

—Carrie Esposito

“Carolyn worked with me on an historical novel that I was in the process of finishing. This was my first draft and as a result it needed considerable work. Carolyn's contributions were immeasurable. From the outset, she delved into the story and helped me clarify my characters' aims. She was able to identify places where the plot lagged, and in the gentlest of ways guided me to tightening up the narrative. I found myself looking forward to reading her comments because they were always on the mark. The gift of a good editor is to help the writer grow and improve. Carolyn is a superb editor as well as a delightful individual to work with!”

—Mary Behan, author of Abbey Girls, Kernals: Stories, Finding Isobel, and A Measured Thread

“I worked with Carolyn on a short story, and her thoughtful, detailed, and insightful approach was incredibly helpful — especially as a new writer. Carolyn is an incredible human: sophisticated, smart, and deeply kind, and that combination comes through in the way she works with writers. She provided detailed notes with thoughtful questions that helped clarify ideas and strengthen the piece's style and tone. Just as meaningful was the way she shared how the story made her think and feel. Hearing that was inspiring and gave me the motivation to keep going — and the hope that I could write something with real impact.”

—Julie Person

“Carolyn has been a trusted reader and editor of my work for well over a decade, helping me with everything from very rough early drafts to nearly finished novels. She's given me extremely helpful advice on bigger elements of the book (like the structure of chapters, point of view, and characters) as well as the line-by-line details. Carolyn has a knack for seeing the heart of a project, regardless of the genre, and guiding me toward the best version I can create. The cherry on top — she's easygoing and a pleasure to work with!”

—A.N. Willis, author of the Penny Wright series, the Byrne House duology, How Much It May Storm, The Corridor, and Grave Lies

Services

I specialize in memoir, literary fiction, and commercial fiction

Developmental Edit

This is a “big picture” edit that addresses the overarching components of your book. For fiction and memoir, a developmental edit will consider character development, plot and pacing, narrative structure, emotional resonance, thematic concerns, prose style, and more. This is the ideal edit for writers feeling stuck. Maybe you've worked on your project for so long that you're having trouble seeing it clearly; maybe you've received conflicting opinions from friends, family, or beta readers; or maybe you are looking to revise after an unsuccessful submission to an agent or small press. I accept partial or full drafts.

Line Edit

This is a more granular edit that addresses both content and style. It considers many of the same aspects as the developmental edit, but on a moment-to-moment or sentence-by-sentence level. It focuses on issues like: Is there a specific line of description or dialogue that might confuse your reader? Have you inadvertently contradicted yourself in terms of timeline, setting, or character? Are there places when a character acts uncharacteristically, when the events doesn't feel believable, or when the approach lapses into cliche? In addition, a line edit is intimately concerned with a manuscript's prose, providing commentary on instances of repetition, missing transitions, word choice, and more to help improve the flow of your writing. This type of edit is best suited for full manuscripts whose writers are preparing for a final draft.

Copyedit

This is an edit focused on correcting errors of grammar and usage. It will ensure that you haven't used a comma where you need a semicolon, that you've written out numbers versus used numerals in the appropriate places, have hyphens where they're needed, etc. A good copyedit will balance adherence to grammatical standards while taking into account your personal stylistic deviations from the rules. A copyedit will ensure your manuscript is ready for submission to an agent, press, or to begin the self-publishing process.

Packages

Please inquire about combining services at a discounted rate.

contact me

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Is professional editing for me?

You have a story to tell, but it's been a long time since English class.
Although you may have experience writing in a professional context, you've discovered that writing creatively calls for a whole other set of skills.
You're seeking in-depth, individualized feedback on your entire manuscript.
You've submitted to an agent or small press — maybe your concept or initial pages have even garnered interest — but you've ultimately been told that your book isn't quite ready.

Next steps

Connect with me via the form below.
I'll contact you so we can discuss the specifics of your project and the editorial process.
Pricing is determined by manuscript length and scope of editing needed. Please see the Editorial Freelancers Association for a sense of editorial pricing.