Strike The Write Tone

07/04/2024

Terri Lyon and I had a fantastic experience Saturday speaking about mental health activism at the Ijams Nature Center mental health awareness festival. Thanks for inviting us Ijams Nature Center.

17/03/2024

My latest blog article deals with an oft-misunderstood species: the beta reader!

Beta reader at work!The process of writing a book manuscript can be exhausting and confusing, especially for novice writers. They might ask themselves every day, “Is my writing any good?” Does the plot/storyline make sense?” “Does my book fulfill the promise I made to the reader?” “Are m...

29/11/2023

I just published my latest blog article. Let me know what you think.

As a memoir writing coach, sussing out the central, core point of a memoir is the most crucial and yet the most difficult aspect of memoir w

20/11/2023

My business website has a new look. Thank you to my website diva Wendy Montgomery for making it all AMAZING. Visit and let me know what you think.

Welcome to Strike The Write Tone. Freelance editing, manuscript assessment, coaching, ghostwriting

24/10/2023

My new blog post is the first of a series of interviews with memoir authors turned activists. Meet David Pruitt, whose memoir Relative Distance discusses his childhood with an abusive father, mentally ill mother, and two older brothers who suffered the effects of this family life the most dramatically.
https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/memoir-as-activism-series-david-pruitt?postId=fe1208b9-52d7-4d15-bb48-1a5961539f5e&utm_campaign=2019c0c8-57ba-4d41-bd9e-a06126646c2a&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=c8b78818-fdfb-4314-9d46-dcf63488a072&cid=57e984f1-bf30-439f-b08b-e5022c45c2c1

10/10/2023

I finally got my act together and asked some of the terrific authors I've worked with through Greenleaf Book Group to write me a testimonial. Their words blew me away. Thank you, everyone!

Testimonials from my clients, photos, and links

30/07/2023

I'm resurrecting what I think is a pretty darn good blog article from March 2022. I took a lot of heat for it at the time. What do you think now?

Memoir groups on social media debate regularly about how to structure a memoir. As a memoir writing coach, I take what I assume is a conventional approach to memoir structure, one in which the stories are divided into three acts, like a play. I coach novice memoirists in this approach because I thin...

19/07/2023

So many writers still confuse memoir and autobiography. I've touched on it several times in my blog, but this article hits the nail on the head.

A memoir should be written like a novel, with a three-act structure, not like a chronological autobiography.

16/05/2023

My first blog article in a while.

I often read this advice from one first-time memoir writer to another: "Just write. Don't worry about the theme, point, direction, or purpose yet. Just write." It's advice I can't support. Here's why.

Is the advice "just write" good advice for memoir writers? I don't think so.

26/12/2022

First-time author David Pruitt has written an insightful memoir, Relative Distance, which I had the pleasure of editing.

David's written an article about the societal dilemma of the unhoused. Here....

I was a CEO, I learned about compassion from my homeless brother. 8 million low-income households face affordability crisis and could wind up homeless.

03/09/2022

Schizophrenia brings challenges for the person and their loved ones. We look at ways to cope with their symptoms and prioritize self-care.

30/08/2022

MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT: Overall Analysis

I will read your manuscript and write detailed report.

COST:
$300 for a partial manuscript evaluation (up to 25 double-spaced pages), $1000 for a full manuscript up to 60,000 words. For manuscripts longer than 60K, it is $200 for each additional 10,000 words.

With a manuscript assessment, there is no editing. Instead, I provide a detailed report. Since I work in nonfiction, prior to the assessment I will need to know your answers to these questions: Who is your audience? What is your purpose? What promise does your manuscript make to the reader?

I will tell you what works and what doesn't, such as:
• Is a clear theme (argument) maintained consistently throughout?
• Have you fulfilled your promise to the reader?
• Is the subject matter thoroughly and accurately explored?
• Are the style, tone, and approach appropriate to each of the above?
• For memoir, what is the overall quality of the storytelling, including plot, characters, description, setting, and dialogue?
• What level of editing needs to be done?

23/08/2022

While not related to my business, I want to share that the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has published another of my blog articles. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read this and learn about *anosognosia*. Then spread the word.

A broad familiarity within our society about this condition would be life-changing for people with SMI.

28/06/2022

My latest blog post offers insight into the dreaded *writer's block*.

https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/writer-s-block-and-how-to-beat-it?postId=62ba049a6bbb229b5e9ca8e3

In the worlds of writing and editing, the term writer’s block rears its ugly head as often as the dreaded show, don’t tell. In the unlikely event you have never heard of writer’s block, it is the term that refers to anything that prevents you from making progress with your writing. You have be...

27/05/2022

Please check out my guest blog post on Terri Lyon's website Life At The Intersection. Let me know if you find it helpful.

https://lifeattheintersection.com/2022/05/27/journaling-how-to-use-writing-to-support-your-mental-health/

Journaling: How To Use Writing To Support Your Mental Health Mental Health Awareness

16/05/2022

My new blog post goes over some familiar ground, but with a twist. I always say that memoir is not the same as autobiography (because it's not), but in this post, I've offered several examples to prove it.

https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/memoir-is-like-a-novel-not-autobiography

A memoir should be written like a novel, with a three-act structure, not like a chronological autobiography.

10/04/2022

For the activism website Life At The Intersection, I have written a multi-part series on the mental health benefits of journaling. I'll keep you posted as to when Part 1 hits!

If you journal, please drop a comment about what kind of journaling you do, how long you've been journaling, and what benefits you've experienced. I would appreciate learning from you.

29/03/2022

I am a staunch supporter of the classic 3-act structure of storytelling. I strongly encourage my memoir clients to apply it. Here's why:

https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/three-act-structure-for-memoir-ensures-the-best-read

Memoir groups on social media debate regularly about how to structure a memoir. As a memoir writing coach, I take what I assume is a conventional approach to memoir structure, one in which the stories are divided into three acts, like a play. I coach novice memoirists in this approach because I thin...

09/03/2022

One rule about showing, not telling:
If you can't act out what you've written, you are telling.

03/03/2022

My latest blog post is meant to address the difficulty many memoir writers experience as they tackle the painful or traumatic issues in their lives. My formula can help.
https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/p-o-w-e-r-my-formula-for-writing-about-tough-stuff

Writing a memoir can be emotionally exhausting. I have a formula for self-care while writing.

07/02/2022

Here is my new blog post, a reflective piece about trauma and the lessons it teaches us.
https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/writing-about-trauma-what-we-ve-learned-since-2020

Writing about trauma is more prevalent since the pandemic introduced us to terms like mass trauma and collective trauma

20/01/2022

Thursday is the last day to contract with me for reduced coaching rates. Check out all my limited time offers at strikethewritetone.com

14/01/2022

Once more, before time runs out!

13/01/2022

An oldie but goodie. I can't believe it's been almost two years since I wrote this blog post, but it's held up. Dialogue is as important as characters, plot, description, and setting. But it must serve a purpose. Or four.
https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/how-to-write-good-dialogue

The purpose of dialogue in prose is to provide information, expose emotion, advance the plot, and reveal something about a character.

04/01/2022

Do you need an editor for your nonfiction manuscript? Confused about what level of editing you might need? I hope this helps.
https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/five-levels-of-editing-which-do-you-need

Defining the 5 levels of editing: developmental, substantive, line, copy, and proofread.

20/12/2021

Often, when potential clients tell me they need me to "edit" their work, they mean 'copyedit." But there are other levels of editing. Learn about them here.
https://www.strikethewritetone.com/post/five-levels-of-editing-which-do-you-need

Defining the 5 levels of editing: developmental, substantive, line, copy, and proofread.

15/12/2021

Are you a copywriter? Share your professional info with me. Let's work together to offer the right services for our clients.

15/12/2021

Are you a fiction editor? Share your professional info with me. Let's work together to offer clients the services they need.

10/12/2021

18/09/2020

Revisions to my website.
Book coaching & ghostwriting.
New blog posts too!