“I love your brain, and I also love how you make me dig deeper and work harder. I learned so much from working with you and felt your presence as I did the edit, hearing your suggestions in my mind. You didn’t just tell me how to fix something, rather, you took the time to understand my vision and helped make it a reality. The editor/writer relationship must be based on trust, and that’s what I had with you. We were a team. You always had my back, and I knew you wouldn’t let me fall.”
“It’s hard for me to express how much you’ve helped me with DCT… Not to mention I’m convinced I am a better writer after all these editing rounds! Thank you.”
“Marissa has reset my bar for creative collaborators. From the firm guiding hand, to the side conversations about literature, to the different points of view she was able to get me to look at my own work, our time together was invaluable.”
“Marissa is not an editor. She is THE editor. Ever conscientious and constructive, she will never force the manuscript into her vision, but rather refine the edges of yours. Every highlight, comment and suggestion is insightful and sincere.”
See James Finegan’s full review on what’s it like to collaborate on edits.
“She has a passion for science fiction that is evident in the thoughtful and polished work she delivers. From the specific recommendations she makes to the high level meta-issues associated with the work she is editing, she pulls no punches in making sure that the story you want to tell is told in the best way possible.”
“Working with Marissa as a developmental editor was a wonderful experience from start to finish. She identified story issues that had escaped both me and my critique partners and made her suggestions with such insight and enthusiasm that I was left energized rather than anxious about the revisions ahead. I have no doubt my book is much stronger thanks to her guidance. Can’t wait to work with her again!”
“Until I found Marissa I had no idea what the right editor can do for a writer’s work. … Marissa finds both the obvious and the subtle mistakes. While she will catch errors and makes many suggestions to my work, she never changes the voice. … I have developed so much confidence in Marissa that if I didn’t think that reading her comments made me a better writer I would just tell her to make the corrections and changes and send back the manuscript. I am touchy about my writing so having that much faith in my editor says a lot.”
“Your work is extraordinary. I can’t even begin to enumerate what I like about it. It’s all wonderful.”
“Marissa is a consummate and talented editor, always challenging me to look at my own work with fresh eyes and think again how to make it better. I attribute much of my growth as a writer in the last two years to working with her, and I count it a privilege to have had that opportunity. I cannot recommend her enough.”
“Marissa is a fantastic editor. … Her line edits are some of the best I’ve seen. I highly recommend her. ”
“Her comments, suggestions and insight has proved invaluable and her seeming patience with someone who is absolutely horrible at punctuation is absolutely great. I recommend Marissa wholeheartedly.”
“Marissa is an absolute pleasure. She is professional, very sweet, and has a great knowledge of the English language. She knows how to apply rules and style without taking away from your voice and, well, style.”
“I am really impressed. You know this quote from Stephen King in his book ‘On Writing’: “To write is humane, to edit is divine.” I thought he was just being nice to his editors … now I understand!”
“Marissa. Awesome work … From a sow’s ear to a silk purse – you genius!”
“Marissa is the author’s secret weapon. With her help I was able to turn my book into something that is much more interesting and a pleasure to read.”
“Marissa, thank you, thank you, and thank you! You have no idea what it means to me to have that kind of critique/feedback. After reading many of your suggestions that “ah-ha” feeling came upon me. It makes lots of sense and more flow now. Thanks a million.”
“She really “read” my novel, got into the storyline, and gave me feedback and advice on point of view, story inconsistencies, pacing, character development, and more. My novel, Caribbean Ice, is now much tighter, flows better, and just plain better than it would have been without her.”
“You have a great aptitude for sorting through the swirling mists of my writing and bringing clarity to the project, that I need so desperately in certain moments. To step away from writing a piece and rest while you doggedly construct a plan of completion is a wonderful thing for me.”
“Thanks for your detailed editing, it has been amazing to see how diligently you went through the text … I appreciate every one of the thousands of little things you have done to make the story a better read.”