Fiction Writing Coach, Manuscript Evaluator, Developmental Editor, and MM Romance Author
Name: Shannon Scott
Type of Writer: Blogger / Web Content Writer
Location: North Carolina
Rate Type: per article (or blog post)
Average / Typical Rate: $50 - 100
My Website / Portfolio: https://sageediting.com
Profile Summary
I bring a 35-year love of the English language to my freelance editing business. I cut my teeth in the world of fanfiction writing and editorial journalism. I’ve been writing fiction and nonfiction for 90% of my lifetime.
Flash fiction, short stories, educational blog posts, novellas, or full-length stories, it makes no never mind to me. Working with words is my vocation and my avocation.
For reference, I’ve written nearly 1.8 million words just in fanfiction alone. I’ve made all the mistakes, and I’ve learned how to fix a majority of them.
Working as a developmental editor, I have the honorable opportunity to collaborate with authors and bring their story vision to life by combining realistic plot pacing, well-rounded characters, emotional conflicts, and a truly satisfying ending that all fit together and accurately reflect the author’s intent while ensuring the reader has no choice but to continue reading page by page.
Spending 12 years of my professional career in military documentation editing on top of being a voracious reader across most genres, line and copyediting are a unique skill set that I bring to my authors.
Working closely with word choice, sentence structure, and messaging, I help you find the most efficient and effective way to get your message across.
You want your target reader to both trust in your credibility as an author and be compelled by how you choose to get your message across to them.
My fiction writing journey started in sixth grade, and nonfiction writing joined the team seven years later during my freshman year of college. The principles of good writing are the same across categories, even if the “rules” are unique to each one.
Traveling these parallel paths throughout my life only deepened my love of writing, of stories, of how people both real and imagined have the power to change lives and the world. I spent hours upon hours in my local library, continually stoking the fire that would eventually propel me into the freelance editing world.
It turns out every career decision I made inevitably led me to what I actually should’ve been doing the whole time. Editing and writing come naturally to me, so helping authors learn how to tell their own stories through both clear and concise writing, impactful emotion, and tension-riddled plots was the only path forward after over a decade spent in military technical documentation.
I graduated from Radford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Sociology, as well as a minor in Media Studies.
A million moons ago, I wanted to be an event coordinator for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, the largest professional wrestling company on the planet).
I’m glad that didn’t work out, because I eventually completed the University of Washington’s Certificate in Editing program. I’m constantly reading craft books, enrolling in professional development courses, and participating in writing classes and critique groups.
I take my role as a professional wordsmith seriously!
Experience / Education / Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts, Communications (Public Relations)/Sociology, Radford University
Certificate in Editing, University of Washington-Seattle
Co-President, LGBTQ+ Editors Association
Member, American Copy Editors Society
Member, Professional Editors Network
Member, Club Ed Freelancers