*NEW* The Bearded Scribe now offers Author Services!

Hello Everyone!

I am SUPER excited to make this announcement—it's been several months worth of consideration and planning, but I've decided to launch an Author Services section to The Bearded Scribe.

What are Author Services you may ask?  Author Services are comprised of a plethora of individual parts, but the sole purpose is to improve your story and, ultimately, your success as a writer.  Whether you've finished your manuscript and you're looking for edits before submitting to an agent or self-publishing, you're just starting out and are now looking for guidance or motivation, or you've conceived a great idea for a story but do not know where to begin to berth its genius onto figurative paper—I am here to help!

Below you'll find an explanation of Author Services offered (at the moment); click on any of the individual services to be directed to the Author Services page for rates...

Editorial Services:

• Mechanical Editing is a line-by-line review of your manuscript to correct mechanical errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice, all while preserving the meaning and voice of the original. I check for a consistent style and format, cross-checking references, descriptions (a character may start out with blue eyes—and end up with them being brown), and other features for consistency throughout the text. I'll also review your manuscript for larger, overall errors and issues, and flag them for your attention.

• Hard Editing includes Mechanical Editing, but also goes beyond simple mechanics to issues of flow, pacing, consistency, redundancy, characterization, transition, and other matters of style. Reading at this level, I make changes and suggestions to eliminate confusion, improve clarity, and make sure your text maintains the correct tone, level of detail, and perspective throughout. The result is clear, consistent, readable, and even sophisticated: a manuscript that hangs together from beginning to end with an overall sense of clarity and quality.

• Collaborative Editing is a hands-on approach to editing. It is a thorough line edit that includes technical corrections as well as suggestions from me to help you improve literary elements, such as tone, organization and voice. We will work on additional components such as characterization, world-building, and dialogue. We would work through the manuscript together through various mediums such as email, EtherPad, Facebook, and over the phone (if necessary).

Coaching Services:

• Monthly Coaching: One on one coaching via Facebook or iMessage to help you guide your current writing project toward completion. This service works best for those who are unfamiliar with project organization, those just starting out on a project, or those who need motivation and support to catapult them toward a successful, finished product. The service includes four, sixty-minute coaching sessions per month (1 per week), and up to twenty brief emails per month. Requires a minimum three month commitment initially and can continue on a month to month agreement, if desired.

• Language Construction & Development: This service will guide you through the process of constructing and developing your own languages so that they mimic true language evolution. It will start with the basics (such as phonemes, morphemes, and glyphs) and work through all aspects of language (such as parts of speech, syntax, and evolutionary concepts). We will work together to take the beginnings of your constructed language and transform it to conform to existing languages of today. The service includes three, thirty minute sessions via Facebook or iMessage per month, and up to two weekly emails per month. The is no minimum requirement for this package.

• World-Building Critique & Feedback: With this service, I'll review your world-building material and notes for consistency and clarity, discrepancies and weaknesses, strengths and uniqueness, among other factors. I will offer a thorough critique with detailed feedback, pointing out places in your world that need work or reinforcement. The service includes the initial email exchange of your notes, my critique and feedback, and two, thirty-minute sessions via Facebook or iMessage. This service is also available to previous clients (at a 50% discount) for a follow-up critique, which will focus on going over finished world-building material.