One to one:
This is where we get stuck in and see what’s happening in your manuscript! I think of editing as a form of mechanics, identifying all the moving parts and tightening them, loosening, replacing with fresh if necessary, to get the whole thing running smoothly.
I gained my editing experience in not-for-profits and in community programmes, where I worked with all kinds of people on all kinds of documents and content. Alongside that, throughout my 20 years as a practicing poet, I’ve put my own book manuscripts together, helped many other people shape theirs, and got their text looking spruce and perfect to send it off.
Several books I’ve edited have gone on to be shortlisted or even winners of major UK poetry prizes.
The fee is variable on a project-by-project basis, so drop me a line to talk about what you need, and we can arrive at a quote and a plan.
See my editing page for more information.
Your manuscript
Longer-term mentoring
A great way to get a quick sense of where you’re at with your writing, and give yourself a kickstart to the next stage.
My usual format is to give feedback on up to five poems, or 2,500 words of prose. That’s enough to get a sense of things without being overloaded or getting repetitive.
Over an hour on Zoom, Skype or Messenger, or in person, we’ll take a close look at what’s working best in your writing, where it could use some tightening, what you should pay attention to, and how you can gain more control over your finished piece.
You’ll get lots of technical insight, suggestions for further reading, and maybe some ideas about possible places to submit your work. You should come away energised, full of ideas, and with a clear sense of your next steps.
And of course I'll answer any questions you already have in mind. (I also offer email feedback, but if possible it’s better to be able to speak.)
The fee for this is £100.
Drop me a line to set up a session.
One-to-one feedback
I can work with you over a longer term — say, three or six months — to mentor you in your writing,. This could be to expand your technical expertise, tackle a thorny subject, or get you into a routine of submitting your work, to meet specific goals or to help you push through to the next stage.
Get in touch and we’ll work out a programme for you.
A Room of Someone Else’s:
Baroque in Hackney is no longer.
But I’m back online, in A Room of Someone Else’s. Intermittent posts on arts, culture, politics, the odd funny story (I hope) and updates from the cost of living crisis.
“I'm a poet, essayist & blogger starting a new life after being forced from my home by rising rents. My book on homelessness, displacement & precarity will be published by CB Editions. In the meantime, here's where I'm writing about my new world.”
If you have experience of homelessness or precarity and would like to be on the paid email list, please let me know.