JAN-ANDREW HENDERSON: THE GREEN LIGHT LITERARY RESCUE SERVICE
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What I Do

'Nobody knows anything' - William Goldman

Developmental editing. Editorial assessment. Structural editing. Copy editing. Proofreading. Fact-checking. Formatting. Blurb and synopsis writing.
I've added a handy summary of what these all mean on the TECHNICAL TERMS page.

But what do I actually do? For a start, I don't waste your time. Proof reading is important but you should be able to spot most simple mistakes yourself.
Any meticulous mate can check your spelling and grammar. So can Microsoft Word. Like every experienced editor, I can (and will) go through your manuscript, line by line, suggesting multiple changes. However, correcting every tiny error can make some people lose the will to live and never want to write again.
And, to be honest, it's sometimes just tinkering, rather than fixing the real issues. It's in the big stuff that a good editor really shines.  

I'm a writer, down to my core. So, I'll show you how to smooth out your writing and refine delivery, dialogue, characterisation and anything else bogging down your manuscript. I'll also make general (even sweeping) recommendations on how to improve the whole work. I might be brutal. Suggest plot changes and entirely new avenues. But I'm also acutely aware that this is your baby, which you worked bloody hard at. That nobody stands out by slavishly following guidelines or advice and all analysis is subjective. 

I can help you put together an effective proposal/synopsis/covering letter. You may have penned a masterpiece but you'll still have to convince agents and publishers to actually read it. If you're self publishing, I'll help with the descriptive blurb (just as essential).

If you're writing an essay, dissertation or short story, I can polish it up and rescue it from dryness, bombast or repetition. I repeat. No repetition.    

For twenty years, I've endured a constant struggle to balance what I wanted to write with what others wanted to publish. Most times I won. But not always.
So I know how heartbreaking and frustrating the process can be. But I'm on your side.  

I am the Green Light. 
​(Cue literary superhero fanfare, which probably sounds like a laptop being thrown against the wall).      
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  • home
  • about
  • what I do
  • services
  • pricing
  • Special Offer!
  • testimonials
  • Talks/Workshops
  • contact
  • Technical Terms
  • blog: the literary breakdown