As a memoirist and personal narrative essayist, I hold fast to the belief that you already possess an extraordinary collection of admission-worthy stories. My job is to help you unearth, awaken, harness, and tell them in a manner that sets you apart from those telling similar stories, honoring your role as both participant and witness in not only your life but also the lives of others.
My Comprehensive Essay Reviews and Interactive Video Feedback Sessions may address, among other things, the following elements of your work:
- Structure, narrative, pacing, voice, and tone
- Promising and missing parts
- Parts not yet fully realized, in need or reworking, or that need to go
- What’s working (and not) in scenes, actions, setting, turning points, and descriptions
- Narrative momentum
- Stylistic successes and problems
Additional emphasis and clarity is also provided via brief follow-up emails to highlight critical parts of our Interactive Video Feedback Sessions. If needed, I may also provide supplemental materials, including relevant tips, tools, exercises, writing samples, readings, and suggestions for you to draw upon in crafting your next draft. Should you need clarity on something or have questions we would communicate via email.
Subsequent rounds of review and feedback will consist of a line editing, to improve the flow, pacing, and polish of your essay. Line edits may:
- Trim words, phrases, or sentences that are extraneous and do not contribute to the story.
- Establish a good rhythm by rearranging passages and suggesting new passages.
- Tighten dialogue, point out inconsistencies, tonal shifts, and unnatural phrasing.
- Suggest changes to the essay when the momentum of the narrative is disrupted.
- Add words or phrases that clarify or enhance your meaning.
