FOR WRITERS
I work as a development editor, mentor, and mini-mentor. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find my courses on Substack, which you can read a sample of before subscribing.
Mini-Mentor: One-off Career Workshops
Sometimes in life, you don’t have a manuscript. Sometimes you don’t have a plan. Sometimes you don’t even have a pl.
Email me at abigailtarttelin [@] hotmail.com with a paragraph on where and how you’re stuck, and we can set up a time to chat.
£80 for 40 minutes on Zoom (also covers my time mooching on your socials / research).
Development Editing & Mentoring
I work with a select few writers a year as a development editor. What that means is that, rather than focus on line edits, I do four things
-give headline notes on structure, story, characters, arcs
-work on themes and purpose (what do you want to do to your readers? what impact do you want the book to have in the world outside of its pages?)
-discuss writers’ personal relationships to themes and plot (one for instance: is there something being held back, or forced into a manuscript, because of our personal experience and related emotions surrounding a topic?)
-talk about the book’s reception and commerciality, including sales potential, and sensitivity reads
I work on the principle that the book belongs to the writer. I’m here to cast a seasoned and sensitive eye over the work, to offer thoughts, and provide someone to talk to, even co-regulate with, about the book. I’m not a therapist, but it feels like therapy — because writing is emotional work, even more so than it is technical.
Email me at abigailtarttelin [@] hotmail.com with queries.
My courses
In autumn of 2024, I shared an essay-based course to get you writing, inspired by questions real people — writing clients, Instagram followers, and my brilliant handyman — had recently asked me about writing. Click on the links below to read.
“I feel intimidated by, or unworthy of writing a novel. Can you help me?”
“How do I write chapters that move the story along?”
“How do I edit my book when I can’t afford an editor?”
“How do I develop rules or a manifesto for my writing?”
“How do I get a literary agent for my novel?”
Ghostwriting
I’ve never ghostwritten anything, but I’ve been known to crack out novels in a few months, can mimic voice (I started out as an actor), and am passionate and/or interested about many things. Read my bio and get in touch if you think I can help. I will tell you if I can’t, and won’t just take your money anyway. I’m not a wanker.