Testimonials

“Anne Lamott stresses the importance of having an editor who will provide a writer with a “tough, respectful” edit.  (There’s a source for this, probably Twitter, and Lara will encourage you to find the source and credit it properly or else ditch the quote.  I promise you.)  Lara has read two full manuscripts for me, 100k and 80k words respectively, and her edits have always been both tough and respectful.  The toughness is essential; Lara stresses grammatical rigor, she doesn’t let you get away with sloppiness or laziness, with using a dumb word when you know a smart one.  She finds all your inaccuracies, the ones you can’t see because you’re too close to the text, and she reminds you that the character is only wearing one sock, or it’s supposed to be a rainy day.  She excises, with surgical precision, the fatty bits that bog a story down. But more importantly, she is respectful of the text, of the writer’s investment in it.  As a writer herself, she understands that what you write comes from a part of you needing to write it.  She respects your tone and your diction; if anything, she urges you to make it more pronounced, more confident.  She is respectful of your decisions and pushes you to make them with authorial intent.  Lara believes that if you have written something, you are the one person who is meant to have written that thing and her job is to help you make that clear to the rest of the world.  Isn’t that the person you want as your editor?  For me, she is.”—Sophia Macris, author of Rule of Thirds and Dodge and Burn

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“Having read Lara’s work and seen her edit my own projects into tip-top shape, I know she is an expert at what she does. Lara’s editorial guidance inspires me to continually strive to improve upon my own craft. Without her support, encouragement, and knowledge over the years, I surely would not be signed to a fabulous NYC literary agency and on my way to publication. She has been, and will remain, invaluable to my writing career. Without a doubt she would be invaluable to any writer.” —Abigail Baker, author of Deathmark

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“Lara’s skill as a writer makes her a first-class editor.  She instinctively knows how to get prose off the ground and make it fly. I recommend her editorial services to anyone interested in giving his or her work a sharp, honest edge.” —William Gebby, author of Dogwood and Sycamore, The Confessional, and We Will Not Be Silent

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“It’s no exaggeration to say that Lara has read everything I’ve written in the last ten years. My essays, short stories, and academic papers have been both strengthened and enlivened by her expert hand. Lara brings especially unique talents to professional writing, creating cover letters that garner compliments and—more importantly—score jobs.” —Oline Eaton, biographer

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“Lara’s expertise and editing style gave me the confidence and knowledge I needed to revamp my cover letter and resume.  Her educational and collaborative approach not only strengthened my work but also taught me how to word my letter beautifully in order to grasp a reader’s attention. Without her guidance, I would not have landed my dream job.” —Chelsea Deakin, assistant buyer