Hello, hello! I’m Alex—(they/them)—and I welcome you to Lodestar Editing & Coaching where I work with writers actively seeking publication, often for the first time.

Maybe you’re feeling imposter syndrome sneaking up to whack you over the head. Maybe you’ve sent your manuscript out for review and received conflicting feedback. Maybe you’ve lost the magic of writing in the grind of career-making. Maybe you’re just beginning to dream of publication and trying to find your voice. Or maybe your voice is brilliantly established, but something deep down in the nuts and bolts of your project just isn’t quite working.

Whatever the case, I’m here to help. Seriously. This is my jam.

What texts do I work with?

So, the first answer to this question would be: I work with writers, not just texts. If you love your project, but are willing to be inventive, vulnerable, and committed to the process of shaping it, that’s more important to me than your specific genre or academic field.

That said, I do have niches and specialties.

When it comes to academic texts, I work primarily on social-justice oriented, interdisciplinary humanities texts. “Humanities” and “interdisciplinary” are, of course, quite broad categories, so check out my Academic Editing page to learn more on my interests, subject-area expertise, and theory/method familiarity.

When it comes to fiction, I would say my tastes and specialties are even broader. I like a character-driven work that surprises me, a genre I thought I knew doing something totally unexpected, and stories with heart—whether that heart is mending, breaking, falling in love, or slowly oozing blood on a demon’s dinner plate.

Which is to say, I work primarily in fantasy, folklore, horror, paranormal, and other speculative fields, but I also love a good romance, mystery, or historical fiction. Cross-genre explorations—fantasy romance; paranormal mystery; historical horror; etc.—are extremely welcome.

Check out my Fiction Editing page to see comparative titles and expansions on my genre niches.

I’m also partial—across the board—to queer characters, narratives, research, and argument. Please bring your queer darlings to my doorstep.

What services do I provide?

As a writer, it can be really difficult to look at a project that’s become your obsession/nemesis and accurately assess what it needs. Therefore, I will take a look at a middle section of your manuscript and—in consultation with you—arrive at the level of editing or coaching I think it requires.

Manuscript Assessments

If you are looking for a new perspective on your work and/or your budget is tight, then I might suggest a manuscript assessment.

This service includes one round of reading, after which I write a comprehensive letter that suggests areas for improvement and possible solutions. The topics I cover in the letter will vary based on what kind of text you’ve handed me. But in general this service accounts for bird’s-eye-view issues like voice, style, pacing, thin spots in the text/world/characters, argument, narrative thrust, cohesion, theme, and “vibes”—that indescribable quality that makes a text sing true to itself, your goals, and your eventual readers.

Further academic manuscript assessment information and rates

Further fiction manuscript assessment information and rates

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Developmental Editing

If you have wonderful ideas, but you’re struggling to start a new manuscript or get your footing in your ongoing work, then I might suggest a developmental edit.

This includes everything in a manuscript assessment and also a second round of editing where I go into the text and get my hands dirty. I’ll leave you marginal comments and questions that will help you to apply the advice in my editorial letter, and I will also suggest cuts and reorganizations that fix issues with narrative flow, argument, pace, etc.

I take all of my editing very seriously, but developmental edits are my particular forte. I shine here as a deeply empathetic and meticulous editor, with a knack for organic character-building in fiction and narrative revisions in academic texts. If you have the budget for this service, I highly recommend it.

Further academic developmental editing information and rates

Further fiction developmental editing information and rates

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Line or Stylistic Editing

If your text has already been through a developmental edit, either by me or another excellent editor, and you are looking to improve the feel and sound of your text, then what you might need is a line or stylistic edit.

This type of edit varies by editor. While some of us are more mechanical, others are looking to make music. With a degree in vocal performance, and two decades of voice lessons, language study, and stage roles under my belt, I definitely fall into the latter group.

My line edits zoom in closer to the page than a developmental edit, looking for issues at the sentence level. Again, my approach varies based on the text, but broadly I attend to things that affect readability: graceful transitions, clarity of intention, consistent tone, word choice, paragraph/sentence order, rhythm, style, diction, and flow.

Further academic line editing information and rates

Further fiction line editing information and rates

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Writing Coaching

And finally, I offer a variety of coaching packages for writers who really want that one-on-one time with a professional editor and award-winning educator.

In coaching, we can talk about pretty much anything that’s on your mind: the emotional stakes of the piece in your hands; the schedule you need to keep to meet a deadline; the components of your built world; the direction of your research. You name it, we can do it.

You can also hire me hourly for project follow-up if you want help applying any of the edits I’ve passed back to you, or extra time on Zoom to brainstorm your revisions.

Learn more about my coaching style and rates

Alex Crawley is, simply put, one of the best editors and writing consultants I’ve ever encountered. They are dazzlingly creative as well as punctiliously careful in their attention to detail. Perhaps most importantly, they genuinely seek to understand what you as an author wish to do—and then provide marvelous support in helping you fulfill your highest goals. If that means kicking your ass with conceptual, or even political, challenges, Alex doesn’t hesitate to offer that service—all while being immensely kind and super caring. Alex is brilliant; you will find them indispensable in your reaching your own brilliance.

Robert D Johnston, PhD, Professor of History and Director of Teaching of History Program, University of Illinois at Chicago