Welcome, word-weaving friends to
Alchemical, adj.
/alˈkemək(ə)l/
---- involving a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.1
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Let the magic begin.
Editing and Critique Services For All Wordsmiths
A great editor should have the same passion for your work as you do.
Your editor should know what makes your writing unique and strive to maintain that individuality throughout the rigorous and sometimes brutal process of transformation. With Alchemical Ink, you will feel empowered, appreciated, important, and encouraged as we work on fine-tuning your writing from conception to publication.
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I'm Denise Wofford, the creator of Alchemical Ink, LLC. I'm a freelance editor, wife, mom, and a self-proclaimed word nerd. I can't wait to get to know you and find out how I can help transform your words with a little bit of literary magic.
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Why do I need an editor?
Editing is often an overlooked and underrated process in the writing experience, but it's crucial. With new editing apps and improvements to word processing software, it's very tempting to think your writing will be at a professional level without the expense of a professional editing process. Editing software and online apps won't alert you when your tense changes within your manuscript, deviations from your house style guide, or even offensive wording. It also won't flag that your protagonist had an orange tabby cat on page 32 but somehow has a chihuahua later in the novel. The reality is that these programs and apps are not intuitive enough to catch narrative inconsistencies or specific grammar and syntax errors that ultimately degrade your writing.
For instance, take the following sentence:
The King and Queen of the neighboring Kingdom was enraptured that their first-born son was egret to abdicate the throne.
You may have noticed a typo (egret—eager) and incorrect word choices (enraptured/abdicate). You may have even noticed a questionable hyphen (first-born). Did you notice anything else? Hint: There are four more errors.
There's nothing flagged, underlined, or suggested when you type that sentence into a word processing software. To a word processing program, the sentence is correct and as the author intended. To a professional editor, there are glaring errors.
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Not only will I identify and correct grammatical, spelling, and syntactic errors that are not congruent with style guides such as CMOS (The Chicago Manual of Style) and AP (Associated Press), but I will make suggestions that help you maintain consistent style and tone. Lastly, I will ensure you maintain a strong connection to your intended audience through your writing voice.