Progressing Aspiring: John’s Three-Year Writing Journey

“Yoanna is exceptional to work with. She is professional but yet friendly. Her insights for me as an aspiring author have helped me on numerous occasions. Yoanna has even answered questions on functions of Microsoft Word. For any aspiring authors reading this. AI has its uses, but do not waste months if not years writing a book and not use the vast abilities that Yoanna offers. She has been helping me on this writing journey for three years now. Yoanna has just delivered me my first proof manuscript that I can submit. The project would still be a work in progress without her help.”

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🌍 Who They Are:‍

John, a business owner turned aspiring author, reached out to me first back in May 2022 with a bold vision—a multi-book project that would not only establish his writing career but also support his pursuit of an MA in Creative Writing. From the start, he knew the value of long-term collaboration and was searching for an editor who could grow with him as he refined his craft. And grow we have :) We’ve been working together for the past almost 3 years now.

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💡 The Challenge:

This one is a bit different as throughout the years we’ve worked on multiple projects and drafts but the first time John approached me, he had:
✔ A massive manuscript—117,957 words (and he was only halfway through!)
✔ Concerns about organisation, style, and structure
✔ A desire for early-stage input to develop his writing skills as a novice
✔ A long-term vision for a multi-book series

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🛠 The Editing Journey:

Over the years, we have worked on several manuscripts together, each phase building on the last.

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📖 Phase 1-3: Editorial Assessments
For John’s first drafts, I provided editorial assessments, focusing on:
✔ Finding his writer’s voice – Encouraging confidence in his unique style
✔ Strengthening storytelling – Identifying themes, pacing, and plot clarity
✔ Worldbuilding & character development – Crafting immersive settings and compelling arcs
✔ Sentence-level refinement – Improving flow, clarity, and impact

🔍 Phase 4: Comprehensive EditingFor his latest manuscript, we took things a step further—transitioning from feedback to proofreading and line editing.✔ Structural refinement – Ensuring strong pacing and narrative cohesion✔ Prose polishing – Making sentences more impactful, fluid, and engaging✔ Line edits & clarity adjustments – Elevating readability while keeping his voice intact

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✨ The Outcome:

John has come such a long way and it has been such a pressure to grow professionally together. It always brings a smile to my face when I see a message from him, showing me his progress with polishing his prose, or a lovely photo of his two cats that are the best writing buddies and keyboard nemesis. His prose is sharper, his storytelling is more refined, and his confidence as an author has grown tremendously (which makes me so happy). What started as a rough manuscript has transformed into a compelling, immersive read. And the best part? We’re not done yet, bring on the exciting reads, John!

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🎯 Takeaway:

Writing is a journey—having the right editor by your side makes all the difference. With every manuscript, John’s storytelling evolves and strengthens. His dedication, combined with the right editorial guidance (and the support of the cats, definitely cannot take the credit away from them), has set him on a clear path to publishing success.