Why consider engaging a story editor?

The toughest thing about rewriting is retaining the distance necessary to clearly see what you are doing.

While it's often not that hard to identify problems in a screenplay, solutions tend to be more difficult. This is because most problems are "referred pain:" they are symptoms of something deeper. Seemingly unrelated problems are often multiple symptoms of a single underlying cause. Without identifying the underlying issues and coming up with global solutions, the writer is doomed to a lateral rewrite; at best, chasing the problem around as the symptoms pop up elsewhere, at worst muddying the water so badly that the problems become even more intractable.

Someone with the right skills and with no previous involvement with the project can be a big help in breaking this deadlock.

How does the story editor do that?

See me story editing philosophy HERE.

The passage from my book "The Way of the Screenwriter" elaborates on the above.

What are your qualifications?

I have story edited and consulted for dozens of writers, producers and directors across Canada. Here is what some of them have had to SAY about the experience. I have taught professional workshops for major training organizations, such as the Canadian Film Centre and Praxis Centre for Screenwriters, and on three other continents.

I have been a professor of screenwriting in the Department of Film at York University for well over decade. I have worked with many hundreds of student writers. I designed the Department’s BFA in Screenwriting, the only program of its kind in Canada.

Being a professor has meant having to think long and hard about screenwriting, about how the craft works, and about how to communicate about it. I have presented my approach in the book, The Way of the Screenwriter.

I am also a screenwriter, director and producer. My work with writers is informed by a comprehensive knowledge of the creative process of filmmaking

What types of screenplay do you prefer to story edit?

I have story edited comedies, dramas, horror movies, love stories, and everything in between. I love movies and I love stories. Of course I prefer to work with writers and producers who are determined to arrive at the best screenplay they can.

Will you read my screenplay first to determine if you connect with it?

No. When I read your screenplay, I am working for you, so I won't do it without actually being engaged. This is in the interests not only of my time but of your project, since the first read is extremely important and should not be done casually. As for "connecting," I have yet to encounter a project with which I was unable to connect. My relationship to projects is impersonal; you, as the writer or producer, are the passionate one. I'm like the doctor; a doctor's expertise is in the human body, rather than a particular kind (short, tall, black, white, etc.) While you may want to choose a doctor/story editor with whom you are personally comfortable, this is a different issue than the specifics of your screenplay. I hope the materials on this website will give you enough of a sense of my approach and philosophy to determine whether you are comfortable with me.

Can you give my project the time it needs? What is your turnaround time?

I work fast. One client said she suspected I needed only to put my hand on top of her script to understand what the problems were. When you engage me we agree on a time frame. I generally turn around drafts within a few days of receipt. Of course, story editing projects which involve me in the development of a full draft occur over a period of time which is determined by the writer's progress. I make it a point never to have people waiting long for my contribution, I always communicate clearly when something can be expected, and I have yet to fail to meet a story editing deadline. There are of course times when I am too busy to take on jobs.