DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
live & virtual support
I tailor my coaching and editing to your needs so that you feel supported on your writing journey.
A great chance to share a little more about your work, interests and goals and see if we are a good fit!
"I love working one on one with Kate. She has a supportive and insightful way of coaxing the better story from my words. She is like a trusted girlfriend that knows your true story more clearly than you do, at first, but within a short time, her advice allows you to gain that a-ha moment where you instantly understand how to translate her suggestions into motivated action. Her coaching feels a little bit like magic, suddenly, poof, I know how to tighten and amplify the power of piece. All this, and, she is a lovely person! Can't say enough..."
- Jennifer Cramer-Miller -
“I am so grateful to have met Kate. I went from wanting to be a writer to having several works published in less than a year, all with Kate's guidance. When I have questions, or simply have writer's block, she delicately focuses me. She's direct, kind, smart and has an amazing way of pushing me in new directions. If you’re serious about becoming a writer or wanting to step up your game, Kate is there to make it happen.”
- Lisa Witz -
“Kate told me what I needed to hear–that my manuscript, then a book of linked essays, was crying out to be a memoir. She didn’t tell me this lightly, knowing that wholesale changes would be necessary - but her words rang true. After pondering her advice for months, I eventually plunged into a revision. Now that I’m well into it, I realize how spot-on Kate was. I’ve gotten to that magical point where everything seems to be falling into place. I can’t thank her enough for helping me get there.”
- Pamela Schmid -
“When readers tell me how much they like the way my book weaves my own story with my great-grandfather’s, I think of Kate, and all the wise advice and encouragement she provided. She has given me, and so many other women, the confidence to believe that our words are important and will find an audience. It’s not hyperbole to say that working with Kate Hopper has changed my life.”
- Joy Riggs, author of Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man -
Developmental Editing
Are you working on an essay or short story, a memoir or novel? Do you want to take your writing to the next level? I am a supportive and insightful reader striving to establish a safe and nurturing environment where creative discovery can take place. My goal is to help each writer uncover the true heart of her story, gently guide her into deeper narrative territory, and help her hone her craft.
A Focus on Craft
I provide comprehensive feedback (structure, characterization, scene development, narrative arc, dialogue, pacing, and analysis of conflicts, etc.) as well as making language suggestions when necessary. I can provide exercises to help strengthen characters, ground your narrative in place and time, and strengthen your reflective voice (among others).
An Editorial Check-In
Have you started a book project or an essay or story and just need to know you're moving in the right direction? I provide big-picture edits and summary comments to give you direction as you continue to move forward with you writing and writing goals.
When I met Kate, I was a new writer with a fresh, vivid story. I handed her pages of writing on lined paper, she called it a beautiful mess and encouraged me to write myself into the book, and thus began our relationship through the revisions. Kate’s editing was as much education as a correction: Let’s see her. How did that feel? Slow this down. I learned to reflect in my writing, write my younger self with more empathy, and focus on narrative threads and echoes.
Kate is timely and clear with her edits, a consummate professional and a wise-hearted human being. Her quality work reflects her integrity. When she told me, ‘It’s a story that needs to be out there,’ it was a ringing endorsement and meant that I was putting my energy into a worthy book.