A creative writing editor does so much more than check your grammar and punctuation.

We look at all the building blocks of your novel including story arc, character development, subplots, voice, rhythm and pace.

As you know, writing a novel is a long, slow process with many moments of joy and pain along the way. You can work with an editor at various stages in the journey to get the feedback, reassurance and support you need to finish your book.

Here’s how.

Manuscript appraisal – the big picture

A manuscript appraisal is a big picture look at your novel. It gives you feedback on all the elements of your story, including plot, character development and voice. An appraisal can be helpful with either a finished draft or work in progress.

A manuscript appraisal will:

show you where the strengths are and where it’s not hitting the mark
give you confidence that you are going in the right direction
help you work out what to focus on next.

Lu gave me some terrific ideas to develop the story.
Her insight made a significantly positive impact on the direction I’ve taken it in.

Sarah Nicholson

Learn more about manuscript appraisals

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Writing coaching & manuscript development – the work in progress

Once you’ve had an appraisal there will most likely be some things for you to work on, such as reworking a plot line or a character arc. If you need support with this, we can set up coaching to workshop your new writing.

It can be a one-off session to get you back on track or a series of workshops and targets to keep you on track.

I’d particularly recommend her workshops to fiction writers,
as you’ll be able to work on and talk about sections of your novel
you may be struggling with.

Nichola Scurry

Learn more about coaching & manuscript development

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Copy editing – the detail

Copy editing is the final polish. It focuses on your writing line by line, making sure the language, rhythm and flow are serving the story and the characters as best they can.

This is the last phase of editing before proofreading.

It’s precious for a writer to see the editor engage with your manuscript
in such depth, and in such a supportive way. It builds a relationship of trust.
I like how your comments range from word choice and syntax to
narrative technique and character development.

Gilbert Van Hoeydonck

Check to see if you’re ready for a copy edit

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Let’s chat about the next step for your novel.

Contact Lu

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Editing & book development for business writers

Hello, I’m Lu Sexton. I’m an editor and writing coach. I’ve been working with writers like you since 2009 and I love it. My mission is to help you bring out the best in your writing and get you one step closer to being published.

Ask me how

Testimonials

Lu is not only highly skilful at editing, she is an absolute pleasure to work with. She was able to guide me through the development of my novel while deepening my understanding of the process and improving my abilities for the long term. Not only will your project benefit from Lu’s keen editorial eye but you, yourself, will gain her valuable insights. I’ll be recommending Lu to creatives and corporate businesses alike, as she has a wide knowledge of writing projects.

Simon Taylor

Comedian and author of 'One-night Stand'

As an aspiring writer, I didn’t know exactly what to expect from an editor, but nevertheless, Lu managed to go beyond and impress me with her practical approach and useful tips. I feel that “an ice block” in the way of my finishing my first novel manuscript melted away in Lu’s hands. Thank you!

Anu Besson

Creative writer

I have worked with Lu Sexton as an editor over several years. She is generous and encouraging, bringing previously unseen perspectives and an exacting critique to the work. Lu has always shown an uncanny ability to understand subtleties of style and what the work is trying to achieve and to assist me as a writer in finding ways to realise these.

Her deft editor’s hand has helped me enormously with work published in Page 17, Wet Ink, Visible Ink and other anthologies, and with work submitted successfully for a Varuna Writers Fellowship. Her contribution to looking at thematics and structure in my novel in progress has been vital and her specific suggestions for how to progress continue to prove invaluable.

David Spitzkowsky

Author of numerous published short stories