Memoirs
Award-winning editor and author
Comprehensive line, heavy, content, and developmental editing
Topics to-date: Woman who grew up at the Panama Canal, woman's journey beyond being suicidal to being an inspiring life coach, woman who recently walked around the world, woman's journey to getting pregnant, an American woman living in Damascus, first woman cop and firefighter in Alaska, rock ‘n’ roll fan, homesteaders, chaplain's Vietnam memoir, spiritual, sacred poetry, five essays, and award-winning The Lady in Blue by Noel Brock about the family ghost, finalist Best Books 2006.
Testimonials
2011 December
"After two years of blood, sweat, and tears creating my first manuscript, my advice to anyone embarking on this journey would be to hire Charol Messenger! I have heard that Michelangelo created David by taking a raw slab of marble and simply chipping away what wasn't David. This is what Charol did for my first book. She found my voice and chipped away the rest. What was left was amazing. My expectations were far exceeded and I am beyond thrilled and what we created together. She will be the first person I call when I finish my next book!"
First round of heavy editing: “I want to update you and let you know I am working my way through the editing process. What a ride! I am having fun with it. Thank you for all of your suggestions and the time and energy you put into the first draft. I clearly see what you mean – this is a first draft.” Nov. 18: "I love the ending! Amazing job on it." - Molly Fiore, Opting In! full polish
Best-seller!
Amazon 4.5 stars!
Midwest Reviews 5 stars!
Polly Letofsky, 3 MPH: The adventures of one woman's walk around the world: "Charol was the first editor for my book, giving my manuscript a solid foundation for successful publication. Her greatest strength was reorganizing my 200 word paragraph into 100 words while also managing to make it more succinct. She also suggested alternative words that colorfully popped off the black & white page. I suspect she could edit the ten+ grammatical boo-boos tucked into this one paragraph testimonial--and get it down to half the size. Or should that be, "10-plus grammar mistakes..." and "half-size"? Should that question mark be inside the quotes? Should there be an ampersand between "black & white"? What is the proper use of the ampersand? Oh, thank the editorial Gods there are people like Charol who know this crap so I can just write and hand it over." "On Time, High Integrity, Creative." APRIL 2010, www.pollyletofsky.com SAMPLE COPYEDIT ON COMPUTER A Colorado breast cancer charity that Polly supported on her walk: www.senseofsecurity.org.
(original was above-average writing; basic copyedit on computer, with consolidation and some reorganization, averaged 1400 words/hour; 125 hours on 178,000 words) (on paper is best and recommended for most first books and first edits)
“Charol is an amazing editor. Her editing of my book was quite astounding. My nonfiction manuscript was long and very complex, but Charol deftly handled it in a relatively short period of time. She helped me weed out what wasn't necessary and really tightened up my chapters. She helped trim a sizable amount, yet kept the heart of my message intact. I've received lots of praise on how well the book is written, and that's directly a result of Charol's years of experience as an editor. I would definitely hire her again if I publish another book. I recommend her editing services to all my writer friends.” LinkedIn Top Qualities: “Great Results, Expert, High Integrity.” Laura Faeth, I Found All the Parts: Healing the Soul through Rock 'n' Roll. (heavy/content edit on paper, with suggested reorganization, trimmed about a third, averaged 1240 words/hour; 84 hours on 104,000 words)
“I have revised the entire mss per your feedback and now need to expand per your suggestions. Love your work.“ Debbie McCulliss, The Rhythms of Birth, (developmental edit, work in progress, averaged 1070 words/hour; 44 hours on 47,000 words)
“God you're good! Holy moly, Charol, I am SO IMPRESSED! And so is my publisher! You are incredible… This is what I've been looking for, for some time. I am VERY excited. I feel better already! You worked HARD. I feel like a big weight has been lifted from me! ... I wish I’d found you three years ago…. Wow, your notes are incredible, so detailed. My publisher is very impressed. Connection, connection, connection...I know I have a problem with that.” Maggie Holeman, Woman in the Locker Room, first woman firefighter and police officer in Anchorage, Alaska. (heavy/content edit on paper, with suggested reorganization, trimmed about 25%, averaged 1100 words/hour; 54 hours on 58,000 words)
Noel Brock's award-winning The Lady in Blue: “As a new writer unfamiliar with editorial services, I chose Charol Messenger because of her impeccable credentials. The quality of her own books assured me that she would be a superb editor. I was not disappointed. Her careful consideration of every word was obvious, and the effort resulted in a smoother transition of the chapters. Her ability to leave my voice, while perfecting the flow of the book, meant a great deal to me. Since the book is nonfiction and the genre is metaphysical new age, I was concerned that an editor would change the heart of the story. However, the suggestions for change were appropriate to the context of my writing, and I feel she respected my writing style. As a first time author, I welcomed Charol’s kindness and guidance as she led me through the editorial process. I hope to obtain her services for future endeavors. For comprehensive copy editing, with suggestions for improvement as well as praise for accomplishments, contact the Writing Doctor." www.Trafford.com/05-1906 SAMPLE COPYEDIT ON PAPER (good writing, three drafts for publication, thorough line edit, first edit avg 875 wds/hr)
“Charol, your contribution was very significant. My book flows much smoother, just like silk, clean.” Peter Earle Dashiell, An American Zero. Author’s confrontation with Klebold and Harris before the Columbine massacre in Lakewood, Colorado.
"Charol Messenger is not only a gifted writer and manuscript editor, but always has fresh ideas about approaches that greatly improve the original piece. It has been a pleasure to watch my story begin in it's infancy and bloom to it's full potential. Thank you Charol, for all your good work." Sue Scudder, musician, Sacred Friends.
“Charol - I feel so fortunate to have found you! Your appropriately detailed editing of my book far exceeded my expectations. I appreciated the tightening of my words, while retaining my deepest thoughts. Your technical suggestions as well as your thoughtful observations have encouraged me during this process of preparing my first book for publication. I was able to depend on the timeframes promised. I highly recommend your services!” Autobiographical exposé, Tracy Ringsdorf, The Gap in the Jehovah’s Witness Religion: and How to Recover.
