Derek McFadden
Professional
Editor
I have been writing my entire life. Be it fiction, essays, poetry. I love to write.
I was born with a mild case of something called cerebral palsy. Palsy definitely helped shape who I am today, but it does not define me, and it never has.
(By the way, do you know why there’s a comma before the and in that previous sentence? It’s because it never has could have stood on its own as a sentence, but I chose to combine the two sentences, and the way I did that was via the comma before the and that bridged both clauses.)
For more than four years, I’ve worked alongside a well-respected literary agent on the west coast. I read manuscripts to
determine their viability in traditional publishing. One of the other things I did almost daily was to edit authors’ works. Suggesting fixes and work-arounds for sticky writing situations.
One of the things many authors commented on: my work was always thorough, detailed, and if any author had a question as to my work, or they wanted to discuss their stories with me one-on-one, I’ve always been open to this.
Writing a first draft is for the writer. The first draft Is always the writer’s to do with what they will. Essentially, in this draft they’re telling themselves their story.
But any writing beyond a first draft–if you’re looking to publish–is for readers, and so it must be treated as such. This means writers must be willing to collaborate. To accept constructive criticism. (Nobody should actively tear down your work, but if they’re taking a few bricks out of the house that is your story here and there and they suggest you should check the foundation for cracks, you might want to listen!
I strive to make the editing process fun, joyful, and painless. You may have to, as they say, “kill your darlings” if a certain piece of writing isn’t moving your story forward, isn’t serving the plot, but if this is the case we can–and we probably will–talk about it in-depth.
I am so excited to get to work! What do you say we edit your work together?
About Me
