I serve writers through fiction book coaching and copyediting so you can write deep, touching characters.
Writing a novel is often a solitary act. Making sure it’s ready for the bookshop’s shelves is a process involving many people. It can be difficult to see plot holes or what’s missing in our own writing. The characters might feel flat. The story might start off compelling at the start but struggle to drive the reader forward in the middle and you’re unsure how to fix it. You want your reader turning pages, invested in your characters and rooting for them as they read every page.
If you’re wondering if your manuscript is ready for other’s eyes, if the story is tight, or if it is well-written, I offer a manuscript evaluation to give you a high level eval. I’ll take into account storyline, character development, and anything else that might pull a would-be reader out of the story. I want your readers locked in from page one until The End.
If you have an idea for a story but aren’t sure where to start, I can help walk you through some foundational questions that set you up to write a compelling and engaging first draft.
We can work together at whatever stage you are from beginning through revision. I offer packages for book coaching to work through the foundation, writing, and revision. We can work at a pace that’s realistic for you and your schedule.
Once you’ve finely tuned your story and tightened it up, finally it’s time for a copyedit. This kind of editing looks closely at each line. Copyediting checks wording, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and general formatting to ensure your manuscript is in the best possible shape for potential agents.
SERVICES OFFERED
- Story development from an idea
- Manuscript evaluation (high level)
- Assistance creating a compelling outline to write and revise from
- Revision coaching
Who is RS Editorial Services?
My name is Ruth Shilling. It was a love of reading and literature that prompted me to earn a Bachelor’s degree in English. After graduating in 2009, I was fortunate enough to find a job teaching English to non-native English speaking adults. Each professional position since then has employed my skills in grammar, editing, fact-checking, and writing. Over the last 10+ years, I have studied the craft of writing and worked freelance on a variety of editing projects, including photography books, an up-and-coming luxury bridal magazine, a local newspaper, and novels.
I take care to address each client as an individual, looking at the goals for each project to help the client do all they can to reach their goals.
I love making connections with people who enjoy the process of writing, then rewriting. What do I love about it? I love seeing the changes as we work together, the good and bad of what happens as the project moves along. There are often those “Aha!” moments that are so fun to see. Sometimes things don’t work, and that’s okay with me. Writing is a process of trial and error. The problem solving process is often a big part of writing and revision. I find it energizing working through a story challenge with clients.
Writing is an adventure. Finding the characters, learning who they are, then putting them through really tough situations to see how they come out on the other side. It reflects real life in many ways, but with the boring bits taken out.
If you’d like to learn more about me, read my about page here. If my services resonate with what you need to improve your manuscript, let’s talk.
“Fiction reveals truth
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
that reality obscures.”