Services
Mentorship Program for Authors
When I'm not writing, one of my favorite things to do is to work with both fiction and non-fiction authors to help them develop their craft and their vision. If you're working on a novel, a self-help book, a memoir, or any other kind of book or project, let's chat. I can help you develop your story or your content and then provide plenty of constructive feedback while you write your book. I also provide ongoing support and help you decide how you want to publish your work.
Editing and Proofreading Services
Every piece of writing benefits from editing--and I can help! I'll evaluate your book or project and advise about the various types of editing your work may require.
Developmental Editing: The developmental edit is the most in-depth type of editing. The only way to know if your project needs a developmental edit is to ask. I'm happy to look at your work and let you know what I think you need to do to make it as compelling and saleable as possible. If you're a novelist, I help you develop the structure of your novel and advise you about plot, character development, and theme. If you've written a non-fiction book or a memoir, I help you organize the content for maximum impact.
Copy Editing: The copy edit is crucial for ALL projects--from reports to novels to non-fiction books and everything in between. I correct grammar errors, advise about style and word choice, point out unnecessary words, check continuity, and a lot more.
Proofreading: This final editing phase is, like a copy edit, essential for all writing projects. I check for typos and consistency to ensure the final, typeset copy of the project is ready for publication.
What kind of editing does your project need? Contact me and let's talk!
Workshops
I love sharing my passion for writing with people eager to improve their craft and get inspired. Subscribe to my newsletter to learn about upcoming workshops or contact me.
If you're part of a writing group or organization, let me know what kind of writing workshop your group would enjoy.
Sample Workshop Topics
- Historical Fiction for Storytellers
- How to Write Compelling Character Descriptions
- Tapping the Experts: Research Tips for Authors
- Exhilarating Indie: Get Published!
- The Hero's Journey: Theme and Plot Development
I'm always open to suggestions. What does your group want to learn? My workshops are interactive, engaging, and practical. Participants leave with lots of notes and plenty of inspiration to apply to their writing.
Educational Materials
Are you an educator interested in developing your classroom materials, maybe even a textbook? With 30+ years' experience as an author of more than sixty college-level textbooks, I can help you develop outstanding educational materials. Let's work together to identify your learning objectives, create a detailed outline, organize your research, develop your ancillary materials, and write and edit the final product, be it a textbook, instructional manual, or guidebook.
Contact me to discuss your project.
Content Creation Services
Let’s talk about content creation for your website. Do you have a blog? Are you creating interesting posts? Are your posts attracting new business or does blogging always end up so far down your to-do list that it never sees the light of day?
Believe me, I get it! With so much to do to launch and maintain a website, just the thought of writing a blog can be overwhelming.
Fortunately, I love creating engaging content and I’m ready to help you add a blog to your website or to breathe new life into your current one. Blog posts about subjects that interest your followers and customers increase traffic to your website and boost your bottom line.
I offer two levels of service to take blogging from a chore to a pleasure.
Level A: Leave the writing to me. I interview you about your business and we brainstorm topics. I then conduct research, determine relevant keywords, and optimize the post for search engines (SEO).
Level B: Call on me to help polish posts that you've already written. I edit them, provide additional content suggestions, and run them through robust SEO tools.
I’m an experienced blogger capable of working with clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including health care, travel, fitness, marketing, sports, and entertainment.
My Art In Fiction website (www.artinfiction.com) is a curated database of novels inspired by the arts. In addition to listing over 1,400 novels, the website features blog posts, reviews., author interviews, and the Art In Fiction Podcast.
I also recently launched a travel website called Artsy Traveler (www.artsytraveler.com). You’ll find lots of posts about travel in Europe as seen through an arts lens.
Book a free 30-minute consultation so we can talk about your website, the kind of content you’d like to develop, and how I can help you attract more traffic to your site and engage with your followers.
Mentoring, Consulting & Editing Testimonials
From Martin Campbell, author of two self-help/inspirational books:
"Carol and her team of professionals have surprised me with their perceptive and accurate insights regarding all facets of editing my book. The term “consummate professional” came to mind when I was writing this – I highly recommend Carol’s editing services."
From Martin Lake, author of over a dozen historical novels, including Cry of the Heart and Bold, Bright Spirit:
"Carol Cram has edited two of my novels. She undertook developmental editing and line editing while throwing in the occasional bit of copy editing as well. I was impressed by her ability to maintain a sweeping overview of the novel, the plot and character development. She highlighted a number of structural and character issues for me to consider and sharpened up the pacing in a number of areas. Her line edits gave suggestions on tightening up sentences, removing repetitive words and phrases and avoiding confusing passages. She saved several of my characters from bouts of head shaking and one of them from gnawing her lips to shreds. Carol always gave great ideas and suggestions. If you want an incisive yet sympathetic editor you should definitely consider her."
From Edythe Anstey Hanen, author of Nine Birds Singing:
"Carol has been my guiding light through the long writing journey of getting my novel from a first draft to publication. Not only was she a trusted sounding board when I needed honest feedback, her advice comes from a wealth of knowledge and experience that she shares with openness and joyful exuberance. Carol helped me focus when I was losing my way and provided me with clear understanding and comprehension of what it means to be not just a writer, but to write well. Carol’s knowledge, encouragement and support has been invaluable to my writing experience."
From Dr. Tom McKeown, President of Clear Communication Consultants:
"For over two decades, I’ve worked closely with Carol and know first hand her rare ability to write and format clear and effective business documents. She strips away unnecessary words and keeps her focus always on the needs of her readers. Carol has written and co-written numerous documents for me over the years–from manuals to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to training materials to presentations. She is also a gifted workshop facilitator with a knack for engaging and challenging participants. I recommend her without reservation to any company that needs the services of a talented and conscientious writer, trainer, and document designer."
From Patricia Lalonde, www.patricialalondecfp.com, financial planner:
"Carol worked with me on two major writing projects and her work was the icing on the cake! She has an enormous talent in seeing the pages the way they SHOULD be so that the reader/student will get the most out of the material. Thank you, Carol!"
From Nerys Poole, lawyer and mayoral candidate:
"I am a retired lawyer and in 2011 ran for mayor of Bowen Island. Carol was a highly valued and essential member of my campaign team. She would take my long-winded written materials and turn them into clear, succinct messages that expressed what I wanted to say but much more effectively. She assisted me in my public speaking, both in helping me make my points briefly and concisely and in giving me tips to improve my delivery during our practice sessions. Carol did not just create materials – she listened to the messages I wanted to give and, with her editing skills, was able to give them a polish and a finish that really helped me to get my point across. I would highly recommend Carol to anyone or any business that is looking for a very astute mind to assist with writing or editing documents."
From Christie Grace, www.christiegracemusic.com, jazz singer and jeweler:
"Carol’s expertise went above and beyond my expectations. She transformed a boring thirty-two page detailed marketing plan into an appealing, clear, and artistic twenty-six page indexed document that I was proud to submit. Not to mention the fun we also had together during the process."
Workshop Testimonials
From Pandora Ballard, Past President, Programs, and Publicity, Tri-City Wordsmiths, Port Coquitlam, B.C.:
"Carol Cram gave a wonderful program to our group on everything a writer wants to know about creating historical fiction. She covered all the elements in a professional PowerPoint presentation, including six guidelines for writing historical fiction ... Her presentation was applicable to writers in any genre, and I highly recommend attending one of her sessions, should it come to your local library or writers’ group."
From Lynne Moran, Facilitator, North Shore ElderCollege Society:
"Carol Cram has kindly presented to our North Shore ElderCollege on several occasions to rave reviews. Her presentations include readings, discussions, and fascinating historical references of the times in which she sets her novels. You can tell Carol was a highly skilled University instructor as her presentations are clear, concise, full of humour and so engaging. I for one look forward to her next novel and hope she will present to our group again."
Sheila McClelland, Authors in Our Community Program, West Vancouver Memorial Library:
"It was my pleasure to have worked with Carol when she presented her novel Towers of Tuscany in October 2014. Carol is delightful to work with and gave me any information I needed on a timely basis. I attended the presentation she gave and was very impressed with the information she presented for her talk. She presented her book very well and gave lots of information for new or aspiring authors. I heartily support doing any promotion with Carol."
From Cathy Scrimshaw, Past President/Past Library Liaison, North Shore Writers Association:
"Carol Cram participated in the North Shore Writer’s Festival 2015 as a presenter for the North Shore Writer’s Association’s sponsored event. Carol prepared and presented a 90-minute workshop, complete with a printed handout and a PowerPoint presentation on The Hero’s Journey, to an audience of approximately 80 participants. Carol’s workshop was professional and polished, and the reviews from participants were excellent. She also participated in a Local Authors Evening at the North Vancouver City Library, in which she and other local authors read from their works. Again, her reading was very well received by those attending. I consider her to be a polished, professional presenter who approaches her work with enthusiasm and expertise. She would be an excellent addition to any program."