Story Compass - Manuscript Assessment

You’ve finished your cosy crime manuscript, but after months or maybe even years of writing, rewriting and probably reading the same chapters over and over again, it can be difficult to see what’s actually working anymore.

Story Compass gives you a fresh, professional view of your novel as a whole. I’ll look at the bigger picture of your novel, from structure and pacing to your characters and, I'll also look at the mystery at the heart of it all.

What I will look at

• Overall plot and structure

• Pacing and story flow

• The mystery and investigation

• Clues and red herrings

• Suspects, motives and alibis

• Your sleuth and their role in the investigation

• Character development and relationships

• The balance between the mystery and the cosy world

• The final reveal and resolution

• Plot holes, inconsistencies and anything that might leave your reader scratching their head

What you’ll receive

• A 4–8 page editorial report covering the strengths of your manuscript and the areas that need more work

• Clear, practical suggestions for your next round of revisions

• A post edit call to go over my feedback with guidance on what I think you should tackle first, so you're not left wondering where to start

Story Compass is a big-picture assessment, so it doesn't include comments within your manuscript. If you'd like me to get deep into the chapters and scenes with you, take a look at Story Deep Dive, my full developmental edit service.

Who it’s for

Story Compass is for writers who want to know what’s working, what needs another look and where to focus their next round of revisions.

Maybe your beta readers guessed the culprit too quickly, maybe the middle feels a little drawn out or you're not sure about your clue placement. Story Compass addresses all of these.