I am now an entrepreneur, a freelance editor/tutor. My business is very small but growing. What are my credentials? I suppose a writer clicks on to AD and looks at my academic and publishing history. No doubt there follows a reading of some of the stories and articles. Then the writer will ask: does Guy Hogan write well and more importantly is he able to convey clearly how to write well? That's it.

What do I actually do when a writer e-mails a story to my tutorial service? I read the story several times over a period of days to not only find issues that need attention but also to get a feel for the story, to sense the writer's intention.

If the issues are serious enough I'll ask for re-writes until I get something I can edit. So far I've asked for up to three re-writes. Re-writes cost the writer nothing. When I get something I can edit I type up the final draft myself to make sure of flow, grammar, diction and any other proofreading concerns. I never write the story. That's the writer's job. I just try to make the story I get in the mail a better story and therefore a story that is more publishable.