I have always been a lover of storytelling.

When I was in second grade, I wrote an adventure story about a lost puppy finding its way home, printed out the story, and asked my second-grade teacher for critique. Of course, she did not “critique” my story; she wrote that it was very good and to keep writing. But my young self was not satisfied with this. I wanted action-oriented critique so I could improve my story, though I wouldn’t have said it in those words back then.

In middle school and high school, I read and wrote constantly. My favorite book became The Book Thief, which transformed my perspective on storytelling; at its root, this book is about the power of words and stories, and how they can change the world. I was a critical reader, always finding something to improve about any book I read, whether it was related to the characters, structure, or the overall themes and impact of the book.

In college, I edited my classmates’ work. I spent hours working—for free—to analyze the structure and arguments presented in essays, simply because I loved the act of editing. Through this process, I developed the skill of being intentional and clear in my communications with the people I was editing for.

Over the last few years, I have poured time and energy into learning the art of critiquing a piece of fiction. From studying Storygrid and Save the Cat’s methods, to taking every online webinar I can and providing practice edits for authors that I love, I am confident I have the skills and experience to provide you with a comprehensive, reader-focused developmental edit. I edit with the goal of preserving your author’s vision, and ensuring the story makes logical sense, follows a structure that works, and has an emotional arc that resonates with the reader.

I’ve been developing these skills my entire life.