​Caroline Leavitt Consults

Why work with me?

 

There are lots of editors out there, but I look at a manuscript three ways. First, I’m a writer. I’m in the trenches with you. I know what it’s like to stare at a manuscript and not know what to do with it, and to feel so overwhelmed you start to think about giving it up and going to dental school. And being a writer, I know what kind of criticism helps, and what kind can shut you right down.

 

Next, I’m a teacher. I teach novel writing at UCLA Writers Extension Online, where I won their very first award for online creative writing teaching. I also teach online at Stanford University and at the University of Toronto. My classes are so popular, they have waiting lists.

 

I’m also a book critic, for the San Francisco Chronicle and People Magazine, so I have an eye for seeing what works and why, and how to fix it when it doesn’t.

 

How do I work?

 

Many writers believe in the muse. They think that inspiration suddenly comes and shows you the holes in your story and how to fix them. I’ve also heard that if there are no surprises for the writer, then the reader won’t be surprised, either. I used to think that way, too, until about five years ago. I discovered story structure, and suddenly, I was writing books that were deeper, more creative and more exciting for me to write. In fact, by concentrating on story structure, I had my first--and then my second--New York Times bestseller. 

 

I look at your manuscript as a whole to see the character arcs, the pacing, the basic structure of the story. I look at the moral choices your characters are compelled to make. I give you tools of structuring a novel, so that you can use them with any other piece of writing you might do. If you know the basic structure of your story, it’s akin to knowing that you want to drive from New York to Los Angeles. Maybe you don’t know the exact route, or the stops along the way, but you have a destination, and that makes it much easier than if you were just roaming around in your car, not knowing where you were headed.

 

What’s the process like?

 

It usually takes me three weeks to go through a manuscript, which I track change. I include an editorial letter explaining what I think works and why, and what I think doesn’t work and how you might fix it. I keep in touch with you via email throughout the whole process, so you never feel hanging. When I’m finished, you go through all my notes, and then we have an hour-long video or phone conversation about your work. 

 

Want a try-out?

Because the editor/writer relationship has to be right for a project to succeed (not all editors are right for all projects), I offer every client a free one-page try-out, where you can send me your first page and I will mark it up. You'll know immediately if I am the right editor for you, and if I'm not, no explanation needed. I'll happily refer you to a trusted colleague of mine. If this interests you, click on Write Me.