“A brilliant mind, whose words have the ability to shift yours into new possibilities, ideas that you might not have had without working with her. Working with Maria was a joy, her ability to hear what you're saying and give you food for thought. (To this day I can not look at the top of the trees without hearing her read from Wild, ‘The trees were tall but I was taller.’)”
— Denise, workshop participant
Services
Developmental editing
You have a finished draft of your manuscript. Maybe it’s a first draft or a second draft, and although you feel pretty good about it, you have questions. Will the reader understand why the protagonist does what he does? Should you move the information about what happened in 2004 from Chapter 5 to Chapter 3? Does the ending work? Are your writer friends tired of giving you feedback? This is where a developmental editor comes in. I will give you feedback on the overall structure of the book and the various elements of storytelling including conflict, pacing, character development, and narrative arc. I’ll answer questions like: Does the manuscript meet genre expectations? Are the characters fully formed with understandable motivations? Are there information holes that the author needs to address?My review will highlight what works and what doesn’t work, and suggest next steps so that you can confidently rework your manuscript to make it the book it was meant to be. Line editing
If you have the structure of your story and the main elements of storytelling in place, but want to make your writing come alive on the page, a line editor is the right choice for you. Line editing involves going through the text line by line, word by word, and looking at word choice, rhythm, and narrative voice to find the most effective way to tell the story. In a line edit, I will help tighten up your sentences, smooth the flow of the text, and suggest language changes that will reveal and strengthen your unique author’s voice. Ideally, line editing should be done after developmental editing and before copy editing. If you have questions about what type of editing is best for you, please don’t hesitate to send me a message!Teaching and coaching
I regularly give workshops on writing and editing through organizations like the Quebec Writers’ Federation and privately using Zoom. Workshops can vary in length from one-day intensive workshops to regular weekly workshops for a 4-, 6-, or 8-week period.
I also coach writers one-on-one using exercises, readings, and feedback on work in progress.
What People Are Saying
“Ms. Turner is an accomplished pedagogue and clearly a very good editor and writer. She used her skills to provide accurate and highly perceptive feedback, often based on very little exposure to texts.”
— QWF workshop participant
"Maria is a gem. She's like a big sister who has read everything and can drop relevant, useful references faster than you can write a bad metaphor. Her feedback is specific and constructive, her advice is clear and honest, her manner is warm and generous. I've taken multiple workshops with Maria and they all exceeded my expectations. I look forward to many more.”
— Sylviane, workshop participant