Pencil Princess Editing is committed to quick, careful, considerate critique.
As a once and possibly future English teacher, R has a strong understanding of English grammar. She also has an eye for picky details and extensive experience working with young and non-native writers. As an avid reader, she loves stories. That love translates into an instinct for good narrative.
To book a project with R through Upwork, click here.
Recommendation:
One client described R. this way: “Super fast worker, extremely reliable. I loved the feedback she gave me on the book, it was very constructive. I would love to work with her again.”
Editing Services Offered
R typically offers a full-service edit that focuses on getting a piece of writing ready for publication. This involves a bit of content editing, a bit more line editing, and a copy edit. R is occasionally also willing to help with formatting for Kindle or E-book.
R’s content editing is light. She mentions continuity problems. (For example, if the character was wearing a red shirt a page ago, and now she’s wearing a blue one, but she hasn’t changed clothes or had a scene break, R will pop in a comment noting the issue.) Similarly, R notes factual errors. (“Sorry, but I don’t think people can see the Golden Gate Bridge from LA.”) She’ll also comment on things that seem unrealistic or confusing. (“How exactly did she punch him without dropping the carton of milk, lunch meat, and cheese that she’d just pulled from the fridge?”) These suggestions will be in comment bubbles, not the actual text.
R doesn’t typically comment on overall plot structure or character arcs unless an author has specifically asked for that, or unless the plot/character has taken a turn that seems completely out of place for them or for the story. If an author would like a more significant content edit, they should indicate this (and plan for at least two editing passes, to bring a fine polish to text that has significant changes).
Line editing involves cleaning up unclear or clunky phrasing and pointing out style issues like cliched phrases, mixed metaphors, and overused or repeated words and phrases. Usually, these issues will be highlighted, and suggestions will be in comment bubbles, not the actual text. Sometimes, for awkward sentences, R offers a couple of alternatives that flow better. (Authors sometimes choose one of these, and sometimes choose an entirely different way to solve the problem.)
Copy editing cleans up grammatical errors, misspellings, typos, and other picky little problems. R usually corrects these in the text, marking the changes so that the author can accept or reject them.
Nitty-Gritty Details
R prefers to work at a per-word rate of 1/2 cent (US) for fiction and 1 cent (US) for nonfiction, but is open to negotiation, especially for those who are just starting their writing journeys or who would like a long-term working relationship.
Since finding an editor who works well with one’s own writing style and process can be a tricky thing, R is happy to do a free sample edit of up to 1/10th the size of the project or 2000 words, whichever is smaller.
R’s favorite genres (to read, write, and edit) are YA of any kind, fantasy, science fiction, historical, and sweet romance. She also has a soft spot for anything with immigrant or cross-cultural themes. If you have a project that fits any of these categories, she’d love to work on it with you.
To discuss a possible project or ask for a sample edit, email rlshoff@pencilprincess.com.
Availability
Current (June 2021): Some ease. R. could fit in up to one or two more book-length projects this month.
© 2015 R.L.S. Hoff