Claire Matthews
Claire Matthews
Writer & Editor

 Services

  • Following the professional standards set by Editors Canada, I provide a range of editing services:

    • Structural (developmental) editing: Assessing and shaping text for organization, structure, and overall big-picture elements.

    • Stylistic (line) editing: Editing to clarify meaning, ensure coherence and flow at the paragraph and sentence level, and refine the language. This edit is often a part of a structural edit or copy edit rather than as a separate step.

    • Copy editing (light, medium, and heavy): Editing for correctness and consistency in spelling, usage, grammar, and punctuation, as well as accuracy and completeness of editorial style.

    • Proofreading: Assessing text for any layout or typographical errors. This is the final editorial step before the text is sent out for publication.

  • A manuscript evaluation provides feedback on the strengths of the text, areas of improvement, and recommends the next step in the editorial process, such as a further revision or an editorial service. Whether you’ve finished your first draft or you’re near the final drafting stages, a manuscript evaluation can help determine if your manuscript is ready for publication.

  • Writing is an isolating endeavour, but you don’t have to do it alone. As a book coach, I’m here to help you along your writing journey, any stage of your process. Whether that’s at conception or creation or somewhere in between, I help you achieve your writing goals through an individualized approach. Book/writing coaches can

    • Provide in-depth feedback throughout a work’s creation

    • Offer encouragement and support

    • Help you improve your writing skills

    • Keep you accountable to deadlines

    • Help you finally finish that book!

  • Item description

Genres

My expertise and interests are wide, allowing me to work in many genres:

Non-fiction

  • Creative (memoir, personal essays, biographies, narrative)

  • Self-help (personal transformation, personal success, career success, and more)

  • Family biographies and genealogies

  • Historical

  • Anything requiring citations (I love them!) 

Poetry

  • Lyric

  • Form (haiku, sonnets, pantoums, ghazals, and more)

  • Free verse

Fiction

  • Young adult

  • Romance

  • Romantasy

Style Guides

If your writing requires a style guide, I’m your girl. I’ve worked with:

  • American Psychological Association, 7th Ed. (APA)

  • The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Ed. (CMOS)

  • Editing Canadian English, 3rd Ed. (ECE)

  • Modern Language Association, 9th Ed. (MLA)

I’ve also worked with house style guides and enjoy learning new styles.

Testimonials

“Claire Matthews was one of the first editors who read an early version of what would become my memoir. I appreciated Claire’s technical advice, suggestions for how to build a coherent story, contemporary view on language, and generosity of time. I recommend Claire’s services to anyone venturing down the path of life writing.”
—Rosanna Hille, author of Swimming in Stories: The River of My Life

“If you’re ready for the final edit that will get your book to publishers, Claire is your person. I sent her 130,000 words and she cut it down to 100,000, and I didn’t miss a single thing. She found the true story and got rid of all my extras. It hurt so good and it’s a high recommendation. The next time I need the magical scythe to see the larger vision, I’ll call Claire again.”
—Emelia Symington Fedy, author of Skid Dogs (Douglas & McIntyre, 2023).