MEET THE EDITOR
Your voice comes first.
I’m Chris, the editor behind Iron Quill Editing. I’m also an author and a lifelong reader, so I know what it’s like to spend entirely too much time living with a story in your head and then trying to get the version on the page to match it.
When you trust me with your writing, I’m not looking for ways to turn it into the book I would have written. I’m there to help bring out the best in what you’ve created while keeping the voice, characters, and heart that made it yours in the first place.
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A Love of Story, Sharpened into a Craft
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, but becoming an editor wasn’t something I originally planned. I reached a point in my life when I needed to work from home while both recovering from illness and helping care for my mother. I started looking for a way to build something around one of the things I’d always loved: books.
It turned out to be much more than just a way to earn a living from home. I discovered that I genuinely enjoyed digging into the writing, figuring out what worked, finding what didn’t, and helping make it shine. Once I realized this was something I could see myself doing, I decided to learn how to do it right. I studied the craft, and eventually Iron Quill Editing was born.
Stories Should Take You Somewhere
I’ve always loved books that can take me somewhere else. Fantasy and MM romance are particular favorites, but genre matters less to me than whether I’m pulled in and made to care about the characters and what happens to them.
When I pick up a book, I want to disappear into it for a while. Give me characters I can get attached to, a world I can picture, and a reason to keep turning pages when I should probably be doing something else. Those are the books I remember, and they’re the kind I especially enjoy working on.
Editing Without Losing Your Voice
I don’t believe an editor’s job is to make your writing sound like something they would have written. When I’m finished, it should still sound like you.
I’m there to catch the things that may be getting in the way: awkward sentences, dialogue that doesn’t quite land, inconsistencies, continuity problems, or places where the writing isn’t doing what you intended. Exactly what I look for depends on the service you’ve chosen, but I’m never there to take over.
I pay attention to the little things, too. Did someone’s eyes suddenly change color? Did three days somehow pass between Tuesday and Wednesday? Does a character know something they couldn’t possibly know yet? Those are the kinds of details that can yank a reader right out of the book.
Being an author myself, I also know it can be nerve-racking to let someone else into something you’ve spent months, maybe years, creating. I’ll tell you when I see a problem and explain why, but I’m not there to tear your writing apart or make you feel foolish for a choice you’ve made.
We’re on the same side. And when all is said and done, you get the final say.
Training & Credentials
Loving books is important for an editor, but loving books doesn’t automatically make someone an editor. I wanted to learn the craft properly, so I completed professional training in proofreading, copyediting, and line editing through the company now known as Edit Republic.
My current credentials include The Art of Line Editing and the High-Level Proofreading and Copyediting Pro Certificate, both issued through Edit Republic.
Training taught me the technical side of the job, but knowing the rules is only part of it. Not every sentence needs to be rewritten just because it can be. Sometimes the best choice is simply knowing when to leave something alone.
Beyond the Red Pen
When I’m away from the computer, you’ll usually find me doing something completely different. I love fishing, gardening, landscaping, and hiking. Lately, I’ve also been learning more about self-sufficiency while tackling the seemingly never-ending job of rehabbing an older house.
And then there’s coffee. I love a good coffee shop, although these days I seem to spend a lot more time thinking about going to one than actually making it there.
Find the Right Fit
Choosing an editor is personal, and I don’t expect you to know whether we’ll work well together just from reading a website. That’s why I offer a complimentary Sample Strike. Send me up to 1,000 words and see what I do with them.
There’s no obligation to book anything afterward. Sometimes the easiest way to decide is to let me edit a few pages and see what you think.