Ways Don Gervich can enhance your
FICTION OR MEMOIR WRITING
Through one-on-one coaching and editing I can help improve your manuscript.
My comments focus on the following areas:
Beginning
Discover a title that captures the essence of the story.
Ensure that the first sentence, first paragraph, and first page entice the reader.
Voice of the Narrator
Help the reader believe that a unique person is telling a true story.
Convey a narrator who is specific and vivid.
Scenes
Orient the reader - clarify where and when the scenes take place.
Use sensual language - sight, sound, touch, smell - to enliven the story.
Characters
Create characters who are complex: a realistic mixture of virtues and flaws.
Develop characters who are distinct and memorable.
Dialogue
Write dialogue that is individual for each character and their personality.
Recreate the way people interact; it may be equally important what characters do NOT say.
Words and Sentences
Improve the choice of nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
Revise sentences so they have variety in their length, tone, and structure.
Plot and Drama
Demonstrate that a person’s desires and goals lead to action; show how conflict occurs when one is NOT reaching those goals.
Create situations that are believable, yet leave space for the unexpected.
Capture drama that happens when a character confronts suffering or crisis.
Emphasize that the reader needs to care about at least one character.
End the story with a discovery, question, or epiphany.
Don Gervich, EdD
writing coach and editor
or email dongervich@gmail.com
Call (617) 924-1348
Ways Don Gervich can enhance your RESEARCH PAPER OR BOOK
I can provide you with page-by-page detailed edits as well as global comments to help you refine your work.
Essentials
Define your research question so it is specific and vital.
Develop a concise, unique thesis statement to guide your paper/book.
Find titles and headings that capture the essence of the research.
Create an engaging first sentence, first paragraph, and first page.
Ensure the introduction is clear and interesting.
Main Ideas
Organize ideas so they connect to each another.
Ensure that the paper’s conclusion is effective.
Review how sources are cited, and examine the format of the bibliography.
Words, Sentences, and Paragraphs
Choose words that are succinct and exact; check that vocabulary is accurate and appropriate to the writer’s purpose and audience.
Revise sentences so they have variety in their length, tone, and structure.
Strengthen paragraphs: develop their transitions, vary their length and emphasis.
Details
Check spelling and enhance word usage.
Correct grammar: parts of speech, past and present tenses, change sentences from passive to active tense.
Improve punctuation - including commas, semicolons, and quotations.
