Tinkering with words has fascinated and absorbed me since I was a child setting up letter blocks and knocking them down again. Not much has changed. I have found few pursuits more rewarding than juggling letters, shifting sentences and constructing paragraphs — until the end result exceeds its fractured beginnings. Such tenacity and interest is required when writing for public appraisal, whether one is grappling with the intensity of a poem, the guided magic of a long narrative piece, or the intention expressed within the parameters of a website.
I have written fiction and poetry for many years. Each form has taught me complimentary lessons about becoming a wordsmith. Along the way, I have also written everything from book reviews, to essays, to captions for news photographs. I enjoy the challenge of applying artful, traditional word-crafting to contemporary modes of technology and expression.
I believe it’s important not to allow the break-neck velocity of the World-Wide Web to get the best of your content and style. Let the thoughts, ideas and offerings you send out be rendered as though each line written was indelible. It might just be true.
One of the strengths I bring to Manuscript Evaluation is that like every writer, I am a long-time lover of books and reading. My mandate is to combine objectivity, skill, creative detachment and passionate inquiry to each work that I read. I encourage the completion of a developed first draft before submission to either me, or a publisher/agent. The more thoroughly you understand the kernel of the story you are trying to tell, and the more it adheres to your evolving wishes for it (regardless of the inspired editing you should also pray for) the more likely it will resonate with readers upon completion.
