Jesse Greyson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jesse Greyson is an Australian author putting a fresh spin on the fantasy genre with her character-driven stories filled with friendships and fantastic beasts. Jesse resides on the Gold Coast and lives that ‘Houseplants & Huskies’ life.
She has three snow dogs, plants where her dining table should be (and on every other available surface), and more ideas for novels than she can ever hope to write in her lifetime.
Jesse is active on social media, and has an addiction to memes, which she also flagrantly encourages in other people. [Learn more…]
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“A life long dreamer, I never gave up on magic. Come and explore the wonders of the ShadowStar Lands with me.”
Jesse Greyson xx
WORK WITH ME
Services
MANUSCRIPT EDITING
All manuscripts, no matter how good, need editing. In fact, most traditionally published novels go through up to 10 rounds of editing before they ever see the light of day.
There are several types of editing starting with developmental editing, then moving onto line editing, copy editing, and then finally proof reading. I offer developmental editing, which is also sometimes referred to as structural editing. Developmental editing looks at the basic building blocks of your story and sees how they can be refined to make your story the most compelling it can be. And after all, a compelling book is one that a reader picks up and starts reading, and even more importantly, finishes reading.
And isn’t that something we as authors, all want?
Services
WHY HIRE A PROFESSIONAL EDITOR?
Editing Well Is Hard.
Editing is a multilayered and multifaceted process, one that you definatitly need outside eyes for to get the best results.
When editing, you start with the biggest tasks (the developmental edit) and then drill your way down through the process, moving from developmental edits, to line editing, then copy editing, and finally proof reading.
If you don’t have an action plan for editing your manuscript you can waste weeks, months and even years on the process.
As a writer it’s in your best interest to get your current manuscript to the highest standard you possibly can and then for you to start work on the next one. This is where investing in a professional editor can really help you.
Hiring a professional can save you time and heartache.
Hiring a professional can help you level up faster.
My aim with my editing services is always to educate, thereby enabling writers to improve with each manuscript, rather than making the same writing mistakes over and over and then be left wondering why their books don’t sell
Services
WHAT WILL YOU LOOK FOR IN MY
DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT?
When looking at the structure of your manuscript I will consider things such as; order of information, pacing, tension levels and foreshadowing.
Developmental editing focuses on the question:
“How can we move things around to make this a tighter and more compelling story?”
Without the basics your whole story falls apart.
If you don’t have your story structure down pat then it doesn’t matter how intriguing your premise, how interesting your characters, or how fresh and amazing your world building is, you’re still going to struggle to get people to finish reading your novel.
There are some basic elements of storytelling that need to be in place if you want to have satisfied readers who actually finish your novel, and then come back for more.
Focus Areas:
Some areas covered in a structural edit include, but are not limited to:
story beats & character arc beats, appropriate foreshadowing, order of information and timing of information, pacing, chapter lengths, chapter beginnings and endings, opening and closing of story threads, narrative traction, stakes and tension, plot, and character motivations
Story & character beats
The beats of the story and of the character arcs need to have a logical and believable progression. Missing even one beats can throw your whole story off
Order Of Information
Information needs to be doled out to the reader in just the right time and amount to keep them hooked in your story. Too much and your info dumping. Too little and you ruin their comprehension and suspension of disbelief
Pacing
Pacing is different for different genres and also individual to the tone of the novel. Your novel may need restructuring to achieve your pacing goals
Character Motivation
The reader needs to be able to believe in the characters motivation for every step of the journey, not matter how crazy their hi-jinks or thinking
Stakes and Tension
The reader needs to champion the characters goals and desires. The stakes need to be personal to the main character so they can also feel personal to the reader
Services
WHY WORK WITH ME?
I am an experienced editor having worked on numerous fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. I predominantly edit speculative fiction, though I have also worked on crime thrillers and contemporary fiction. I have also edited non-fiction novels on fitness, pet care, and real estate. I provide comprehensive feedback both at the overarching level (structural) and at the line edit level.
I am a member of several writing groups including Scifantor, Gold Coast Writers Association and Vision Writers Australia. I have also attended multiple writing conferences, the most recent being the Writing Excuses cruise in September 2018, which held classes conducted by Edgar, Locus, Campbell, Hugo, Nebula, World-Fantasy Award Winning Authors; including Brandon Sanderson, Mary-Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Piper J Drake, Amal El-Mohtar, Tempest Bradford, Maurice Broaddus and New York literary agents.
I was also awarded a scholarship to attend the 2019 Futurescapes Writing Conference in Utah, where I was provided the opportunity to workshop my current manuscript with editors, agents, and authors.
When you work with me you will receive your manuscript marked up via track changes in a Word document.
Click here to request a free sample edit of your first chapter/s, up to 3000 words.
Services
PRICES
I charge 0.03 per word (3 cents U.S.D per word.) To calculate how much it would cost to get a developmental edit, supplementary report, tracked changes, and an online meeting to discuss your manuscript, simply times your total word count (e.g 80,000 words) by 0.03 to get the total cost (prices are in USD.)
50% payment is required upfront to secure your editing slot, and the remaining 50% is due on completion of your manuscript and reports. I must receive final payment before your reports and manuscript will be emailed to you. After that we can book in a time for our Zoom call to discuss any queries you may have about the feedback or your manuscript in general 🙂
Blog
Writing About Writing
This is it. You have had an Idea. A brilliant, shiny idea. It’s a masterpiece in the making, you’re sure of it. You can already see it being bought by Netflix if Disney doesn’t beat them to it first. You can’t wait until the kids are in bed so you can finally start...
Futurescapes Workshop 2019
I won a thing! My whole life is dedicated to being a successful, published author. To that end I applied for a writing workshop in America. Here’s what happened. I was awarded a place at Futurescapes, a prestigious writing workshop in Utah. YAY! I was also awarded a...
How To Create A Fantasy Language
Do you want to see a real-world, blow-by-blow of hyper fixation in action? Buckle in! Like oh-so-many (many!) writers, I’d love to create an elvish language as sonorous and mellifluous as Tolkien’s elvish (read: Quenya, though Sindarin will do at a pinch.) But it’s...
Get in Touch
Book An Editing Slot
Location
PO Box 221, Miami, Qld, Australia 4220
Hours
Australian Eastern Standard Time