Q: I had a free critique from you some time ago. It was really helpful. I'm wondering why you guys don't use a mailing list or newsletter like others do?


A: The truth is, we don't want clients who have to be talked into working with us. We do monthly free critiques as a service, but most of our clients come to us via word of mouth. As a result, the clients we do work with have specific goals in mind. They want to get published traditionally and haven't had any luck on their own. Or they want to self-publish but they don't feel their work is ready. They want to make it better and learn how to do this themselves in the future.


We're both ethically against the constant spamming that we all have to deal with. We feel it lessens the quality of services. You know what we do. We're good at it. That either works for you or it doesn't. We see no value in filling up your inbox with 'helpful' marketing materials.

Great first sentences are tough to come up with. That's why we'd like to dedicate this contest to examining the first sentence of your novel.

Here's the total deal:

In an email with the subject line: FIRST SENTENCE CONTEST, send us the opening line of your novel.

Format of email: Opening sentence, genre, finished or unfinished novel, brief synopsis (think back of a book) if you can come up with one easily. That's it. Send to flourishediting at gmail.com. Remember the correct subject line, or it might get lost in our inbox.

Does it have to be a finished novel? Well, we have no real way of knowing, but if it's a sentence you made up out of context, it may or may not be good. So please have at least half the novel written before you send the sentence.

Any genre of fiction; memoir is also acceptable.

Top three entries will receive a free critique of their first chapter and we will post the top three first sentences here with authors' names.

We will also post a list of reasons why the sentences submitted were most commonly eliminated. This information will be anonymous and without actual sentences, but may be helpful to you as you hone your manuscripts.

DEADLINE: January 30th. Sentences will be judged by February 7th. Rewards will be awarded by February 14th.

Send us your sentences!

The title of editor can apply to a person performing a number of different tasks. Acquisitions editors seek out stories and novels for publication. Copy editors make corrections to text, varying from fixing typos to cutting out unnecessary or confusing language. A proofreader simply looks for any small flaws in a final text. (Strictly speaking, a proofreader compares the publisher's final layouts to the printer's proof pages, to make sure the printers got everything correct.)

So what do we do here at Flourish?

We address the issues in a manuscript that weaken your story, novel, or non-fiction manuscript. Our primary job is not to find typos. Depending on what service we agree on, we'll make notes on your manuscript that will help you understand how to resolve the most significant issues in the writing on a line, paragraph, scene, and story basis. These could be flaws in logic, inconsistencies of fact, or incorrect usage of words. There might be issues with the organization of a paragraph -- or of a whole series of events. Fiction traps we commonly encounter include characterization errors, scene structure, and overuse of exposition, also known as summary narration. We deal with every aspect of the writing, from pacing, tension, purple prose, appropriateness of tone, and unclear tense, to genre requirements, plot structure, and more.

What an editor doesn't do is totally rewrite your story to make it "correct". An editor marks up your text to point out areas that need work, and provides all the guidance you need to fix the problems that exist. Small edits might be made in red for you to agree or disagree with, of course. The difference between an unedited manuscript and an edited manuscript can be quite startling.

We do all this while trying to maintain the author's voice. It's all about making you shine, after all. If there isn't a clear authorial voice at the beginning, then often by the time we're finished, in collaboration with the author, it will have become clear.

In other words, what we do is what the story editors at large publishing houses do, except that those editors only work with writers they've already agreed to publish. We can help all writers who want to become professional develop the chops to achieve that goal. In the short run, the work we do with you will help you improve your story. In the long run, it will make you a better writer. Of course, that requires you to do some work yourself.

Many of our clients have gone on to get published. Several have signed contracts with small presses. One was published by Harlequin, and her novel has been nominated for an award. Harlequin Teen wanted another client's novel, but she had already sold it elsewhere before they got back to her.

The thing is, we really care how you do. We want what you want. That is, we want you to be happy with the finished piece and we hope that readers and publishers, if you decide to submit to them, will like it too.