Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Editing

Lynne Melcombe did a great job editing my book. She had a sharp eye for sentences that were confusing, needed more context, or were simply awkward. It was a pleasure to see how the manuscript began to shine under her careful attention!

~ Claudia Cornwall
Author, British Columbia in Flames (creative nonfiction)

It would not have been possible to convert my master’s thesis into a book without Lynne’s comprehensive editorial advice. Her multi-layered reviews and assessments were instrumental in providing the focus and guidance I needed to bring this book to press. 

~ Carl A. Bolton
Author, Software Asset Management (training manual)

This work began as a simple travelogue, but when Lynne got her hands on the manuscript, she found within the shell of my words a deep kernel of an internal journey. This is the journey that turned out to be the theme and message of the narrative. Her thoughtful advice, insightful comments, and respectful understanding helped reveal the real reason that I wanted to write this book.

Thank you, Lynne.

~ Rosemary Rigsby
Author, Five Nights in a Turtle (creative nonfiction)

Lynne is the epitome of professionalism. She made every effort to understand what I wanted to say and caution me about any drawbacks, but ultimately she always respected my decision. Although Lynne’s perspectives on my topic . . . are very different than mine, she was able to bring her own insights to bear in a way that made my own thoughts clearer and richer. In the end, she helped me produce a book that was deeper and more reflective than I could have managed without her skillful guidance. With Lynne, the whole editing process was so rewarding that reworking the manuscript was a joyful experience. I will definitely recommend Lynne to any aspiring writer who is serious about taking their manuscript to the next level of excellence.

~ Gerald Sze
Author, The Sacred Path of the Soulmate (prescriptive nonfiction)

I had the pleasure of working with Lynne on my book Rowing the Northwest Passage, published by Greystone Books. From the start, I recognized Lynne fully grasped what I was trying to achieve through my writing and the editing process proved efficient and enjoyable. Thanks to her great efforts, my book has turned out better than I ever could have hoped.

~ Kevin Vallely
Author, Rowing the Northwest Passage (creative nonfiction)

I was not only impressed with what Lynne did but the way she did it. I found her to be seasoned and professional. She was knowledgeable about editing and impeccable in rooting out areas where more research was needed. . . . She taught me and then showed me that you don’t have to be wordy to capture thought, evoke emotion, or provide emphasis—that, in fact, being concise and clear is a far better way to achieve these goals. With Lynne’s help, I not only produced a better book than I would have otherwise, but I also learned to be a stronger communicator myself.

~Mary Wong
Author, Pathways to Pregnancy (prescriptive nonfiction)

I recently gave Lynne an extremely difficult manuscript on which to perform a substantive edit. Based on her past work for me, I knew she was up to the task. But when she turned it in, I was astonished by just how good a job she’d done. The manuscript, while based on a strong and original concept, was poorly organized, nearly twice as long as needed, and replete with outdated cultural references and unintentionally prejudicial language. Based on my greater familiarity with the subject matter, I provided Lynne with a restructured table of contents. She took it from there to completely reorganize the content, cut 50,000 words, and identify gaps in the remaining material. Thanks to her hard work and sensitive eye for story and thematic structure, the resulting version of the manuscript is lucid, clear, compelling, tight, and well developed. . . . Lynne is not only good at her work, but very professional in the way she performs it. I’m grateful to have her on our team.  

~Maggie Langrick
Publisher, LifeTree Media

We have worked with Lynne Melcombe on a number of projects, and each time she is the epitome of professionalism, both in her communication and her work. I recommend her highly.

~ Anne Key
Managing Editor, Goddess Ink
(creative nonfiction, anthologies)

As new authors, we’d like to express our thanks to Lynne Melcombe for her work on our book, Sexy, Sassy and Strong. We didn’t know what to expect but she made us feel very much at ease. She put my words in an order that made me feel like my message was stronger, clearer, and easier to read, without losing our style or the flavour we wanted in the book. She was very professional and we are very grateful!

~ Alison Forezli and Gloria Mohninger
Co-authors, Sexy, Sassy and Strong (self-help)

Lynne came on board to copy edit Nerve Line  at a time when my deadlines were tight and crucial; I had an opportunity to launch the book at Northlands racetrack [it’s set in the horse-racing world], but a short, short timeline to get the manuscript through production even to have pre-released copies available for this launch. Lynne came through not only with a thorough copy edit, but with some honest and hard-hitting [substantive] advice that came at exactly the right moment and made a terrific impact on the final copy.

~ Nancy Mackenzie, Author
Nerve Line (fiction)

Working with Lynne was a delight. I am very pleased with her services. She is a true professional, imaginative with ideas, and meticulous when it comes to details. Her editing skills and problem-solving abilities are amazing. I highly recommend Lynne!

~ Jeremy Freeman, Author
Chess Tactics: Weapons for the Chess Warrior (nonfiction, children)

Lynne is a true professional who is a pleasure to work with. She substantially edited the first draft of my manuscript. Her comments were encouraging and suggestions right on the mark. While writing the second draft, I felt like she was right there with me guiding me along the way. She was sensitive to a difficult topic yet urged me to tell my story in a way that would better engage the reader. In looking for an editor who would be a good fit for me, I sent several pages of my manuscript to eight editors for sample edits. I chose Lynne because her sample sounded like me . . . only better!

~ Niki Krauss, Author
Little Girl Mended (creative nonfiction)

My story is important to me. I want it to be the best it can be before I send it out into the world. . . . Lynne’s criticism, sensitively and thoughtfully delivered, has been, and continues to be, invaluable to me. If you want someone to correct your grammar and punctuation, I’m sure Lynne can do that for you. But I recommend her because she does more than just tell me my writing is fine and my book is good to go. She helped me make my novel better, and she helped me learn to be a better writer.

~ Kathleen H. Wheeler,
Brought to Our Senses (fiction)

Corporate and Nonprofit Work

 I hold Lynne’s work in very high regard. She is organized, creative, and truly a big picture thinker who worked collaboratively with a diverse group of people in 15 offices to bring strong leadership. . . .  After my move to [my current] position, I was pleased to recommend that Lynne be hired on a freelance basis to bring her considerable editing skills to our written materials. She continues to provide excellent services and it’s a pleasure to work with her again.

~ James Aldridge, Executive Director
Grok China (corporate reports)

Lynne has shown a tremendous ability for producing clear and concise content that ensures understanding yet also allows for translation to a number of languages. She conducts herself in both a professional and timely manner enabling us to keep to scheduled deadlines. Her work is meticulous and she has contributed greatly in the success of our products. . . . I enthusiastically recommend Lynne’s editing services.

~ Kelly Hegedus, Publishing Manager
CCI Learning Solutions (software manuals)

Lynne worked with us for many years, becoming one of our senior writers on Canada’s west coast. The writers and project managers we hired for conferences had to adhere to tight deadlines, producing accurate, evocative publications under the intense pressure generated while major events were under way. Lynne’s work for us was consistently strong, and I know she has since carried her excellent writing skills and high professional standards into her freelance career.

~ Mitchell Beer, President
Smarter Shift (meeting notes, conference proceedings)

Lynne [is] an excellent writer. She excelled at the challenging role of converting complex, medical terminology into interesting, readable, educational material for consumers and retailers. She did so in a challenging environment of unclear and changing legal restrictions. Lynne responded well to the marketing environment at SISU, which called for quick results within changing priorities, and she did so without compromising her high standards.

~ Susan Rooney, Director of Marketing (former)
SISU Inc. (marketing communications)

Lynne brings professionalism and passion to her skilled writing, thoughtfully crafting messages and promoting ideas that further [our] work. We have developed an excellent working relationship [and] strongly recommend her work to others, particularly those in the field of social justice.

~ Penny Bain, Executive Director (former)
BC Institute Against Family Violence (nonprofit public relations)

Lynne’s work is fluent, fresh, powerful, and consistently well-crafted. Her ability to work withing demanding deadlines with the utmost professionalism is exemplary! . . . [She] is a joy to work with in every setting, and we recommend her very highly as an outstanding professional in her field of work.

~ Donna Otto and Morna Edmundson
Co-Artistic Directors
Coastal Sound Music Academy (nonprofit public relations)