For fiction and non-technical non-fiction, short stories and book-length projects.

Here, you will find :-

• Why Bother with an Assessment?
• What I provide
• What I Look for in Your Manuscript
• Mini Assessments
• Submitting a Manuscript for Assessment - format for Hardcopy and Electronic Submissions
• Formatting Tips
• Feedback for Manuscript Assessments

For writers who want unbiased assistance in deciding how their manuscript is progressing, an assessment offers a valuable solution. Many agents will only accept manuscripts, which have gone through the assessment process and emerged with a gold star.

An assessment highlights strengths and weaknesses, giving recommendations for areas needing improvement. It is detailed report on all aspects of what makes a manuscript desirable for a publisher and areas in which you may need to devote further attention. Includes marketability and commercial desirability of the manuscript.

A writer's journey can be long and arduous, fraught with self-questioning and doubts. It can also be magical, inspiring and one of great satisfaction and reward at having achieved what first seemed impossible - the creation of a manuscript. Maybe it's not perfect - what is? And if it were, where would be the learning and seeing our writing improve and develop along the journey. Honing and polishing results in a tighter, more enjoyable read, and my aim is to help you achieve that end.

I care about you as a writer. I want to see you live your dream. I know how great the desire can be for others to share and appreciate your written work - and there is no doubt writing is work. But be warned, I will not mollycoddle you or say your writing is fantastic if it isn't. None of us learn by being patronised or if fed wishy-washy waffle (ah, alliteration).

Neither do we learn if size-twelve, hobnailed boots grind our egos into the dust. There is a definite line between constructive criticism and battering a person's spirit to the point where they give up writing altogether.

I will be honest as gently as I can.

I will also give you a report of five to ten pages, depending on the size and depth of the manuscript, which you can refer to, including relevant examples of where improvement can be made where applicable.

Formatting - First impressions count when submitting a manuscript to a publisher or agent. I'll tell you if and where your manuscript would benefit from adjustments in the presentation, to avoid it ending up in the return envelope before the second page is turned. (Some helpful Formatting Tips)

Strengths and Weaknesses - This is the nitty gritty and bulk of the assessment in which the positives of your work are highlighted and aspects needing attention are discussed. Areas covered are as follows:

Storyline and Plot
Does the work flow and make sense to the reader? Are sub-plots tightly woven into the main plot, or do loose threads leave the reader frustrated?

Characterisation
Are the characters believable in context, or are they two-dimensional mock-ups?

Point of View
Who is telling the story or presenting the facts? If the Point of View (POV) changes, can the reader keep up? Does the reader always know whose head or shoes she/he is in?

Tense
Is the correct tense used throughout? Or is the reader floundering, wondering when exactly the action took place?

Style
This is the 'voice' in which you tell your story or, in the case of non-fiction, how you pass the information on to readers. Is there too much exposition (description)? Does the story or subject get lost in large sections of narrative summary (background material)?

Structure
How do the chapters or sections of your writing fit together? Do they interlock into a cohesive form and achieve what you, as the writer, are aiming for?

The Technicalities of Writing
Here we enter the mechanics of writing. It is one thing to put our thoughts and ideas on screen or paper, another to convey them in such a way that readers will have no doubt about what we are saying.

Sentence Structure, Sentence Fragments and Ambiguities - Are the rules of grammar, which are many, adhered to in putting sentences together? Or does the reader pause, striving to understand what the writer actually means?

Word Usage - Are words chosen for the best effect? Does a specific word convey the appropriate meaning?

Adverbs - Do too many adverbs detract from the writing? Could a single, more direct verb give a better sense of action and clearer image for the reader?

Repetition, Redundancies and Tautologies - Does the writing contain superfluous words and phrases? Has the writer said the same thing more than once in a sentence or paragraph, but used different wording?

Clichés - Could phrases such as 'white as a ghost' be replaced by a more original image?

Active and Passive Voice - Does momentum diminish, the immediacy lost because of passive phrasing? Would a more direct approach and wording place the reader firmly into the action and scene?

Punctuation - Are commas, full stops, semi-colons, colons, question marks and exclamation points used correctly for effective readability and understanding for the reader?

Hyphenation - One of the trickiest aspects of grammar. Are hyphens used in the right places?

Spelling - Are words misspelled? Does the writer mean 'here' or 'hear'? (The context will not be picked up by the spell check function.) If the manuscript is destined for an Australian publisher, agent or reading public, is spelling appropriate?

The abovementioned are a sampling of grammatical aspects I look for. Depending on the stage of development of the manuscript, and the writer's familiarity with grammar, more or less areas may be discussed. The use of numbers, abbreviations and capitalisation are also considered and discussed. Now we come to the following areas.

Dialogue
Is the dialogue natural, but at the same time appropriate to written form? Does dialogue move the story forward? Or are characters talking just for the sake of filling in time, and pages?

Coherence
Is the writer getting her/his point or idea across to the reader? Does the story flow, or does it stall because meanings are not clear? Is the reader scratching her/his head, wondering what's happening? Are the meanings of technical terms and acronyms clear? Is the reader privy to all the 'facts' necessary to follow the narrator's, or character's thoughts and actions?

Consistency
Between Chapters Two and Twelve, does the character's name change from Smith to Smythe? Are capitals, names, places and abbreviations treated in a consistent manner?

Marketability and Commercial Value
This is an important area for writers who nurture dreams of publication. In this section I will tell you honestly whether or not your manuscript has reading-market appeal. Not all books appeal to all people, which includes publishers and the reading public. Certain topics, by their nature, have a niche market. Fiction may either suit the commercial or literary market.

Not all manuscripts are destined, or written, for commercial publication. Many authors wish to take the self-publishing path. Whatever the intended readership, select family and friends, or a broader field, your manuscript is assessed with your aims in mind.

The Summary aids the writer, and any reader of the assessment, to grasp the reasoning behind comments made about the manuscript and writing. Here, also, I discuss options for future development of the work.

Turnaround Time for full assessments is 8-12 weeks, depending on length of the manuscript and my current workload.

See below for presentation of submissions for assessment.

A Mini Assessment is available for fiction or non-technical non-fiction works and gives an overview of a partial manuscript. Beneficial for first-time authors, a Mini Assessment takes into consideration the opening chapters or sections of a project, which the author estimates will not exceed 50,000 words on completion.

Perhaps you're unsure if your book is headed in the right direction. Can improvements be made, now, as you write towards the end of the book, to avoid hours of rewriting?

Supplying a Project Information Sheet is optional, but advisable in giving me an indication of your aim for the completed manuscript.

What You Get for Your Money
A four to six page report on how your manuscript is developing, which covers -

Submissions for Mini Assessments are accepted in hardcopy only.

To submit a partial manuscript for a Mini Assessment, the following apply.

Turn around time for Mini Assessments is 4-6 weeks.

If in doubt about presentation, please go to my Formatting Tips

Include a Stamped Self Addressed Envelope (SSAE) of suitable size for the return of your manuscript and Assessment.

Payment is to be included with the manuscript. (See below for Assessment Fees)

What a great service this is. As you could probably tell I haven't written before so all your comments are important to me. I cringed several times to see you highlight items that just should not have got through my 'editing' process, but having read it so often I guess I've just memorised it and can't see the obvious. I shall take up your suggestions and comments and continue to polish it in my 'spare time'. When I started this I had no idea how much work there really is in writing.' J.B.

'Many thanks for assessing my work. I was not distressed at the outcome - in fact I was very pleased.' L.W.

'My deepest thanks. The generous comments and concise criticisms are exactly what I needed and I'll be immersing myself in the re-work immediately.' And later: 'Thank you for such a thorough primer on editing. It's given me plenty to think about.' And later still: 'Just a quick note to let you know that the MS and supporting material went off to [the agent]. My baby's finally left home!!!' I.M.

'Just to let you know how genuinely pleased I am with your mini-assessment. I'm currently working right through [the manuscript] and you're right. It's tedious! But now I feel as if I know what I'm looking for.' L.B.

'Thank you for your mini appraisal of my manuscript. I only wish I had sent the manuscript earlier in my writing, as I may have avoided the many errors I now see in the remaining ten chapters. I hope you continue to offer this service. The fee is very reasonable and the money well spent.' R.H.

'Appreciate all you have done.' L.M.

'When I sent [my manuscript] to you, I was looking for direction and advice, and you have given me both. With no opportunity to workshop, network or interact with other writers, your feedback is particularly gratifying. Carefully reading through your appraisal and referring back to my manuscript is a valuable exercise. I am most appreciative of both the encouragement you have given me, and the constructive criticism. I hope that you will be prepared to take another look at [my manuscript] when I have given it the attention it needs.' I.B.