Mystery Writer, Editor, Book Coach
As a coach and editor specializing in all things mystery, I can help you:
- Develop a sleuth with a rich internal life
- Raise stakes, clarifying an amateur or child sleuth’s reason to get involved in a mystery
- Strategize about series potential for your sleuth and your world
- Ensure criminals / suspects have plausible means, motives, and opportunities for committing crimes
- Ensure there are ample compelling suspects and red herrings
- Pace out clues and reveals
- Pace out crimes
- Amplify conflict, build suspense
- Write clear and dynamic action scenes
- Craft plot twists the reader won’t see coming
- Manage research vs. storytelling
- Deal with the law (police / detective characters, legal matters)
- Balance the mystery genre with other genre conventions
- Balance a mystery sub-plot within a larger storyline (particularly if you are writing a “mystery about the past”, “hidden history,” or “family secret” story)
- Work within mystery genre conventions while avoiding tired tropes
- Depict compelling sleuthing teams, manage large casts, while avoiding the Scooby Doo effect (“You meddling kids!”)
- Develop useful and three-dimensional sidekicks
- Figure stuff out! (Staying a step or two ahead of your sleuth—and readers—then helping you cover up your tracks to keep them guessing!)
- Deal with project management and reach the finish line of your draft or revision – no matter what genre you work in!
My mission as your coach and editor:
I love helping other writers solve their own mysteries faster, shining a light to help them see a path forward to “the end” of a draft or revision, and demystifying the writing process in general by providing specific tools and strategies at every step of the way.
I work in a collaborative spirit, and enjoy the brainstorming and problem-solving process. I really enjoy guiding writers through decision-making processes.
In my feedback, I will offer questions designed to spark ideas, point out different perspectives, provide editorial suggestions, challenge you with some “what if’s,” and give you my direct, honest opinion in a compassionate way if I feel something’s just not yet coming through on the page. But you are still in charge of your story! Sometimes my questions and suggestions to address a problem may prompt you to think of some other solution entirely – and that’s great!
I will invest my time and energy in your project, championing your book at every stage, and rooting for you as its creator rather than imposing my vision or structure. I will also make sure to share specific examples of what I think is working well, to raise your awareness of your own writing strengths – so that you can keep doing those things.
MY PARTNERS IN CRIME ARE:
- Writers of middle grade, young adult, or adult novels that are mysteries — or have an element of mystery.
- Writers who are not sure if their book should be a mystery — or just have a mystery subplot (I can help you figure that out!)
- Mystery writers who are overlapping with other genres (such as historical, paranormal, thriller, romance, science fiction / speculative fiction)
- Writers of cozy mysteries, literary mysteries, hard-boiled mysteries, domestic suspense – I love them all! (And if you’re not sure what shelf your book should sit on, I can help you figure that out!)
- Writers who are Nature Detectives – Writers of eco fiction, climate fiction, or anything related to natural history, conservation, environmental justice, environmental activism, or exploring the mysteries of the natural world. This can be interpreted broadly.
- Writers of all genders, religions, races, ethnicities, ages, or sexual orientations.
- Writers struggling to complete a novel due to ADHD or other executive function issues. I have extensive training and experience in this area. I also feel strongly that folks with EF issues tend to be highly creative people whose stories deserve to be heard – and FINISHED. If you identify as a part of this group, please let me know on the intake form.
Genres I do NOT work in and services I do NOT offer are:
- Adult horror (It’s not a genre that I am well-read in, but I’ll happily take kidlit horror, and I love a spooky ghost story!)
- Nonfiction / Self-Help EXCEPT for direct referrals from publishers (For nonfiction, I offer assessments, coaching, and editing in partnership with SheWrites Press and Girl Friday Productions, which utilize specific referral systems and pricing / packages. Currently, I am only working with nonfiction clients who come through publisher referrals).
- Copyediting and Proofreading
- Ghostwriting
In addition, I do not work with misogynistic, racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic or transphobic content. I understand there may be characters who represent certain viewpoints –not necessarily shared by the author – and there may be justifiable reasons for including those viewpoints. Mysteries and crime fiction involve letting people see the darker sides of humanity. Even in a cozy mystery, the crook in the cupcake shop may voice some opinions that readers might find distasteful. That’s fine! However, if I deem the overall or cumulative tone or effect of such narrative choices as ticking off any of these boxes, or if violence or rhetoric feels gratuitous and not serving a narrative purpose, I am likely to turn down your project.
If you’ve read this far and suspect I’m not the best fit for your work, but you do want a coach or editor, please check out Author Accelerator’s searchable coach matching directory. It lists over 160 certified book coaches who offer a variety of programs and pricing structures, work in time zones all over the world, and coach / edit across genres. You can filter for specific search criteria. For a $50.00 fee, Author Accelerator will also hand-match you with a coach. (And they are great at this. I know because it used to be my job!)
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