Matt Kendrick
Writer | Editor | Teacher
Editorial Services:
Short Fiction & CNF
Want an expert eye on a short story, flash fiction or creative non-fiction piece you're working on? Are you struggling to get it to behave how you want it to? Are you unsure where to take it next? Have you been sending it out on submission only to get a string of frustrating not-quite-acceptances? Or maybe you're happy with the piece at a structural level but you want to add more polish at the level of sentences and words?
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Whatever you're struggling with, I offer a variety of editorial services to help you take your work towards its final draft. My feedback always aims to encourage, elucidate and extend, and hopefully provides plenty of ideas for enhancing both the individual piece and your writing more generally.
What I offer
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Structural Review: feedback on the narrative, structure, pacing, characterisation, thematic progression and emotional journey of your story (RECOMMENDED FOR PIECES OVER 2K WORDS)
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Line Edit: detailed in-line edits and comments on style, tone of voice, word choice, concision, readability, rhythm. flow of ideas, spelling and grammar
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Detailed Edit: a structural review and line edit rolled into one (RECOMMENDED FOR PIECES UNDER 1K WORDS)
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Flash fiction bundle: detailed edit on a bundle of three pieces​​
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How it works
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Send me your work in either Word document (preferred) or Google doc format. I'll then read your work and start prodding it from every angle, reflecting on how the piece comes across to me, what's already working well from my perspective, what might perhaps be improved, and other opportunities to take your work to the next level.
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Once I've formulated my feedback / finished my line edits, I'll send the piece back to you so you can get on with moving it towards its final draft. At this point, you'll need to provide payment either by card, bank transfer or Paypal.
Structural review
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In a structural review, I'll look at the following aspects of your writing:
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Originality - does the story have a strong sense of USP? Is it doing enough to stand out from the crowd? Are there opportunities to make more of the truly original aspects?
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Narrative - does the story have a sense of narrative journey? Has something changed? Are there ways the narrative could be enhanced? Are there opportunities for further layers?
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Structure and pacing - does the form of your story hold together? Are there moments where the story needs to hurry along a little faster or places where the story needs more time to breathe?
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Characterisation - are the people in your story well-drawn and believable? Is it easy to connect with them and to understand their motivations?
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Thematic progression - how do the themes in your story work from a reader's perspective? Are there opportunities to do more with the themes you've chosen?
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Impact - does the way you've written your story resonate? Is there an emotional core?
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Cost
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Up to 500 words = £26
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500-1000 words = £30
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1000-1500 words = £34
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1500-2000 words = £39
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2000-2500 words = £44
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additional 500 words = +£6
Line edit
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In a line edit, I'll look at the following aspects of your writing:
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Flow of ideas - does the ordering of character actions or descriptive elements work to its best advantage?
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Style, tone-of-voice and word choice - are there moments when the tone of your writing wavers in comparison to the overall style? Are there particular word choices that don't work as well as they might? Is there unwanted repetition of word choice or unintended alliteration or rhyme?
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Concision and readability - are there additional words that aren't needed? Are there ways of rephrasing to make a sentence more pithy?
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Rhythm and flow - is there enough variance in sentence structure? Do sentences segue naturally from the one before?
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Spelling and grammar - are there any typos or missing / additional words? Is there consistency of tense? Is dialogue or internal thought formatted in a consistent manner?
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Cost
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Up to 500 words = £26
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500-1000 words = £36
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1000-1500 words = £48
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1500-2000 words = £62
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2000-2500 words = £76
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additional 500 words = +£13
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Detailed edit
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Want both of the above in one go? In a detailed edit, I'll look at everything from a structural review as well as providing a line edit of your story. In doing this, I'll focus my time on what I think is most needed for your particular story.
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Cost
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Up to 200 words = £24
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Up to 500 words = £32
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500-1000 words = £44
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1000-1500 words = £58
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1500-2000 words = £72
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2000-2500 words = £86
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additional 500 words = +£15
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Flash fiction and microfiction bundles
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Working on lots of piece all at once? If you send me a bundle of three pieces, I'll provide details edits on all three for a 15% discount.
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Cost
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3x pieces up to 200 words = £62
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3x pieces up to 500 words = £82
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3x pieces up to 1000 words = £112
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Request a critique or an edit
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Please email your request to matt@mattkendrick.co.uk letting me know:
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your name
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the word count of your story
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what type of critique / edit you would like from the options above
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any time frames (i.e. competition deadlines) you are working towards
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anything that would be helpful to you in terms of accessibility (e.g. larger font size on feedback reports)
Please put 'Editing Request' plus your story's title as the email's subject.
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Payment by Paypal, card or BACS (UK only) on receipt of your feedback.