Work with Jillian

Who I Am and What I Offer

I’ve been a professional writer for over thirty years and a teacher of writing for twenty-five. With an MA in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University, an MFA in poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and an MS in education from Duquesne University, I’ve taught writing and literature at Pennsylvania State University and Chatham University. I’ve also been a reader for Under the Sun literary magazine. My work has appeared in dozens of magazines and anthologies, including Bellingham Review, Best American Essays, Brevity, California Quarterly, The Healing Muse, Huff Post, Image, Literary Mama, New Letters, New York Times, Nimrod, North American Review, Northern Appalachia Review, SWWIM, and Under the Sun.

If you have an essay or book-length project that you've taken as far as you can on your own, I can provide a fresh perspective. I work only with creative nonfiction (memoir, essay, essay collections, and the hybrid forms that CNF comprises). Please note that I’m not the right person to help with fiction, YA, humor, or inspirational projects.

I can assist with narrative structure—whether that’s a traditional narrative arc, or a more complex non-chronological structure. I’ll work with you on pacing and point out places where you might want to expand or dig deeper, and I’ll help you strengthen elements such as theme, voice, tension, scene, reflection, and transition.

Details for types of edits and rates appear below. Use the “Contact me” button at the top of this page to email me with questions or to schedule an edit. When you do so, please include the type of project you’re working on, word count, any specific concerns, and time constraints.

Essay-length Evaluation is for a self-contained essay of up to 5,000 words and focuses on larger issues of narrative arc, pacing, structure, aboutness, voice, and clarity, as well as line-level issues of sentence structure and rhythm, word choice, repetition, and grammar.

7 cents per word, with a minimum charge of $75.

Book-length Evaluation is a developmental edit that focuses on big-picture elements such as structure, pacing, character development, balance of scene and reflection, and narrative arc. You will receive comments addressing the book as a whole, as well as chapter-by-chapter notes. Note that this service does NOT include line edits. You’ll get the most out of this type of edit if you go through at least two rounds of revision on your own before submitting to me.

$1,700 for up to 60,000 words

Coaching and Accountability: Sometimes the most challenging part of writing is getting and keeping your butt in the chair. Having a trusted, knowledgeable accountability partner can be the key to completing a writing project. As your accountability partner, I’ll meet with you by phone to help you maximize your creativity and productivity by identifying and managing habits or manuscript issues that may be getting in your way.

$40 for each 40-minute phone session, or $125 for a package of four 40-minute sessions

Terms of service: For essay-length evaluations, payment is due in full upfront. For book-length evaluations, a 50% deposit reserves your spot, with the balance due upon delivery of written feedback. Deposits are non-refundable once materials have been submitted for review. All evaluations include one round of feedback only. For phone sessions, payment is due at the conclusion of each session or, if you find that making a commitment is important to your follow-through, you can purchase a package of phone sessions up front.

Testimonials

“Jillian helped me fine-tune a personal essay for publication. Her expertise and knowledge of writing was delivered with confidence and warmth, a rare and wonderful combination.” ~ Vanessa Foster

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"Jillian is brilliant in evaluating an essay and seeing exactly what it needs, especially in helping the writer understand, and then reveal, the heart, or aboutness, of the essay. She is sharp about helping a writer cultivate their own individual voice, shape the narrative arc and craft an ending that really brings home the writer's intention with the essay. She's also lovely to work with, honest about what needs to be done, but also so encouraging. As a talented and experienced essayist and memoirist herself, she knows what it takes and I've been grateful to have her by my side." ~ Amy Brown

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“I trust Jillian with my most personal writing and she treats it, and me, with great care. I can rely on her straightforward feedback to help me understand what is working well and what I might consider tweaking to strengthen the impact of my words. She has a keen sense of narrative structure and is thoughtful and thorough in her evaluations. I’m always excited to work on revisions after seeing my work through Jillian’s perspective!” ~ Tracey Edelist