Rhoda Vale
Freelance editor and writer. I help people say the true thing clearly — books, essays, and the occasional speech — and I am happiest in the slow middle of a draft, where the argument is still deciding what it wants to be.
Developmental editing
Structural editing for non-fiction and literary fiction — the read that tells you whether the book is doing what you think it is, where it sags, and what the strongest version would cost to make. I work on full manuscripts and on proposals, and I am candid in the report and kind in the margins, which is the only order that helps.
Ghostwriting & collaboration
Long-form ghostwriting and collaboration for people with a real subject and not enough hours — memoir, founder books, and essays that run under someone else’s name. I take on one of these at a time so the voice stays genuinely theirs rather than quietly becoming mine.
Workshops & mentoring
Small online workshops on structure and revision, plus one-to-one mentoring for writers in the long middle of a project. Groups are kept to eight so everyone’s pages actually get read, and the mentoring runs in monthly cycles rather than by the hour.
Work with me
The list usually runs a couple of months ahead. Send a short brief — what the project is, roughly how long, and when you need it — and I will reply within a week with whether and when I can take it on.