Debra Kraft
www.dmkraft.com
Editorial & Critiquing Service
Whether you’re writing an essay, an article, a technical report, a procedure, a short story or a novel, you can always benefit from an extra set of eyes to catch errors too easily overlooked when reviewing your own work. Unfortunately, beta readers can be hard to find. When recruiting for them from amongst your circle of friends, they can be too kind to be truly helpful. When recruiting through writers’ groups they can go in the opposite direction and be too critical – sometimes to the point of flaming; I’ve found this to occur with writers who, in my opinion, take the craft far too seriously, seeming to believe every writer should channel the likes of Hemmingway before they can be worthy of print.
I have connected with fellow writers through writers’ lists, writers’ groups and online organizations like Zoetrope.com and Critters.org. Through these connections, I have performed reviews as a beta reader and as a casual editor. I tend to be both kind and critical at once, intent on providing a fair and useful amount of balance. With that focus in mind, I dwell on the positive, not the negative. I never judge whether something is worthy of being either written or read; I just provide some objective insight into how whatever you’ve written could be made better. I do use a lot of red ink. I also insert a lot of comments, identifying what works as well as what could use some tweaking.
Cost? You Decide.
In my own experience, I have been leery of hiring a professional editing service. How do I know which ones are worth the value? Yes, I have checked with Predators & Editors (
http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/), but there are many service offerings to look through, only a handful of which are identified as recommended or not recommended. Even for those that are recommended, I’m still unsure whether or not I want to provide them with money untested.
What I am offering is the ability to test me. Send me your work; ask me to review it. When I return it back to you, you can decide whether my comments are worth a dime, a dollar, or more—or nothing at all. I will not charge you. Instead, I will ask you to determine the value and provide or not provide payment accordingly.
What's the catch? There is none. My business model might be unconventional, but to get any business started you need to build a client list. This is my method for doing just that. If it works, great! If you're happy with my work, wonderful! If not, then all I will have lost is the time spent editing materials non-gratis.
Testimonials?
Posted below are some privately emailed comments I have received from recipients of my reviews (writer and story names have been withheld because I am not currently in contact with the authors):
“Absolutely the best, most helpful review I've ever received …. Your suggestions were absolutely spot on—all of them. And you did a great job of not only sussing out my lazy tendencies but also pointing out things I wouldn’t have seen in a million years … And I must say, I’m frankly amazed at the amount of work and effort you’ve put into this. I’m absolutely flattered by it, first of all, and now feel absolutely compelled to sit down and put these edits into place. It’s an absolute priority!
“… I just wanted to sincerely thank you for being so exacting, so critical of a piece that you liked so much. I so often run into the phenomenon of folks really liking one of my stories and going on and on about it and not providing any helpful feedback in the process … I’m honestly flattered that you liked it enough to want to see it be better, what it could be.”
“Thank you very much for even reading my story. That is the best review I have ever had on Zoetrope. It shows you have a very distinct understanding of the art of writing. All of your suggestions are great and I will take another look at rewriting [the story] accordingly.”
“Just wanted to thank you for such a great review...it's amazing and quite helpful.”
“Thanks very much for your thoughtful reviews! You have a keen eye for editing, which I certainly appreciate.”
“I very much appreciate your detailed critique and feedback, Debra. You obviously spent the necessary time to think about both the story and how it is constructed, as well as where all it might go. The specific points you touch on are valid provocations for me to reexamine where and how I might polish this one.”
“Thanks very much for your kind and helpful review. I wish everyone wrote reviews with advice as specific and implementable as yours!”
Why Use Betas or Editors?
No computer software can beat human eyes.
Spell-Checker software cannot catch correctly spelled but incorrectly applied words. If you intend to say, “She was led astray,” but you type “She was lead ashtray,” your spell-checker will not help you find your errors.
Grammar-Checker software is also – and perhaps even more imperfect. To provide you with some examples, my spelling and grammar checker in MS Word found no flaws at all with the following sentences:
As the man walked toward the barking dog near the fire hydrant it lifted its leg.
What is wrong with that sentence? For starters, it could be interpreted that “it” refers to the man or the fire hydrant, neither one of which should conceivably be lifting ‘its’ leg.
At the end of a sunny street in the beginning of the break of day a dog barked a cat meowed and the cow jumped over the moon but the tree on Sycamore Street was old and rotten and Mr. Jones’ lead a quiet life.
Clearly, this is a run-on sentence. It is also a bad sentence. How could the street be sunny already if it’s just the “break of day”? Additionally, “beginning” and “break of day” are redundant. As to “Mr. Jones’ lead,” are we saying he is in possession of lead, or do we mean to say he led a quiet life? And what does that have to do with an old, rotten tree or a fantastical cow jumping over the moon?
Criterion: What I can and will do:
From a technical perspective: Your document will be of a higher quality at the end of my edit/review than when you first submitted it to me.
From an artistic perspective: You will gain the benefit of an alternative viewpoint or perception.
You can test ideas on me. Will I react as you expect a reader to react? Do I get what you’re saying? Can I read between the lines as you might hope your readers will or will not be able to do? Are you providing enough clues or are you giving too much away? From a plot perspective, are you following a good path or is your story starting to lead you astray?
Through critiques, I can check your: Dialogue; Character/Setting/Plot development; Descriptions; Transitions; Etc.
Disclaimers: What I can’t or won’t do:
- I am not a “book doctor.”
- I do not provide a manuscript submission service.
- Due to the highly competitive and subjective nature of the publication industry, I cannot guarantee work reviewed/edited by me will be subsequently accepted for publication.
- I do not re-write your work, but I can make recommendations for improvement if requested.
- I prefer not to critique poetry due to the highly subjective nature or perceived nature of that particular art form. However, I can provide “an extra set of eyes” when requested.
- I will not edit poetry for grammar.
Who can I help?
Students can think of me as a tutor.
Writers, both non-professional and professional, can consider me an assistant, a guide or just an extra set of eyes to catch some of the errors all writers can too easily overlook when reviewing their own work.
Document Types
If it’s written, it can be reviewed. Examples: Essays; Articles; Technical reports; Training documentation; Procedures/Work Instructions; Flash Fiction; Short Stories; Novels; Etc.
Experience/credentials:
I have extensive creative and technical writing experience but limited publishing credentials. As I built a career in the automotive industry my writing was sidelined. My goal for retirement has always been to move toward a new career in writing. Now, with the industry in a severe state of shock and flux, I find myself pushing up my timelines. Providing this service is a first step.
My experience:
- 1979-1983: Merit Scholar at Wayne State University.
- 1983: BFA from Wayne State University, with a Major in Fine Art and a Minor in English.
- 1986: Prior to completing an MAT, I received a Provisional Teaching Certificate issued by the State of Michigan for Secondary Education, with a focus on English.
- 1986-1987: Employed as a substitute teacher for several Michigan school districts.
- 1987-current: Employed full-time by an automotive supplier, through which I have gained over 20 years of experience developing, writing, reviewing and editing technical documents, process documentation, executive reports, formal presentations, external and internal communications and training program documentation. I remain a key “go-to” person for documents that need refinement for high-level review and presentation.
- 2002: Published an article for the International Conference on ISO-9000, and presented the article as a Speaker in Las Vegas, Nevada for an international audience.
- 2003: Published a book of poetry ("Somewhere on the Edge of Words").
- 2003: Joined Critters.org and actively participated by providing reviews/critiques. (Not currently active.)
- 2004: Developed World Building for Writers workshops and workbook.
- 2006: Joined Zoetrope.com and actively participated by providing reviews/critiques. (Not currently active.)
- 1960s-current: Extensive writing for pleasure, including 3 original novels and “fan-fiction.”
Think you might want to consider giving me a trial run?
Visit my web site at
www.dmkraft.com for more information. Just select “
Edits/Critiques.”
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