Testimonials.
“Susannah's work was of great value to me in preparing my book for submission. I implemented nearly all of her ideas and came to appreciate her forthright advice. Her eye for the bigger picture, with thoughts on structure and consistency of tone as well as the smaller concerns about grammar, down to the use of the semi-colon, were all helpful.”
—Alan Davies, Actor, Comedian, and author of upcoming memoir, Just Ignore Him
“People quite often ask me about my rewriting and editing process and the first thing I tell them is that I can't get to the end of a book without Susannah Waters casting her keen eye over it. She has worked on every Manon Bradshaw novel and each time she has proved transformative. Often I can't see the way clear until I read her report, and almost always I will slap my own forehead and think, “Of course! What was I thinking?”
—Susie Steiner, Author of the bestselling Missing, Presumed, Persons Unknown, and the upcoming third in the Manon Bradshaw trilogy, Remain Silent.
“Writing a novel can be a long and painful business and there comes a point where one finds oneself lost at sea with no compass to navigate by. Susannah helped bring me back into port again with her wise, candid and intelligent analysis. A highly recommended life boat service for any struggling writer!”
—Rebecca Frayn, Novelist and Screenwriter (Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley, currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and You Tube)
“Susannah gets to the nub of what needs changing in my work, offering practical as well as creative ways to improve each sentence, paragraph, chapter and the overall novel. Her critiques are always spot on and I trust her judgment implicitly.”
—Rebecca Whitney, The Liar’s Chair (Pan Macmillan) and The Hidden Girls (2020)
“Susannah understands what it takes to fine-tune plot and story telling so that publishers will pay money for it and readers will keep turning the pages. Her insight and enthusiasm have helped me to see my writing through a reader’s eye. Writing is a solitary journey; having Susannah onside helps illuminate the best way forward.”
—Julie Corbin, Author of Do Me No Harm, Where the Truth Lies, Her Watchful Eye, and the upcoming, I Tell a Lie, published in October 2020
“The transition from screenwriting to prose is just as hard as the opposite journey, but Susannah showed me that many of the skills and techniques are transferable. Her practical suggestions and encouragement were invaluable to me at the start of a daunting process.”
—Jenny Le Coat, author of upcoming debut novel, Hedy’s War.
“A few years ago I brought a couple of thousand words of a prospective novel along to Susannah's workshop in Brighton with very little idea how to develop it, and I'm certain that her enthusiastic response was the first step towards publication. My confidence was hugely boosted and over two years studying with her I acquired a repertoire of approaches that are still the mainstay of my approach to fiction. A few years later, I often hear Susannah's voice in my ear advising me to change the word order of a sentence or suggesting how to fix some aspect of a story's structure. I was amazed at her generosity towards other writers, and the detailed feedback she gave to submitted work. She also introduced me to many creative writing gurus who I still go to for inspiration or to get me out of a hole when I'm stuck. Her notes on the first draft of 'Wrecker' were critical in helping me get it into shape to send out to agents, and I've no doubt that this led to me finding a publisher.”
—Noel O’ Reilly, author of debut novel, Wrecker
“Susannah has an intuitive understanding of what makes a story work. She also has a meticulous eye for detail and the ability to communicate her ideas with clarity and passion. Basically, everything you want from an editor.”
—Jon Walter, author of best-selling children’s books, Close to the Wind, and My Name is Not Friday, and his debut adult novel, Nevertheless She Persisted.
“Susannah is a trusted voice. She is brilliant at helping writers in both the macro and micro elements of the creative writing process. She really sees each writer as an individual, taking time to understand their vision, and exploring how it can be attained with greater clarity, adding a valued precision and depth to the work. She has helped me enormously in my writing.”
—Georgina Aboud, award-winning short story writer, Cora Vincent.
“Susannah understands all aspects of writing, from the technical and rhythmic elements of vocabulary and syntax, to the overarching impact of chronology and voice. She read the first part of Sea of Bones in its early form and her report and guidance gave me the confidence to plough on, get an agent and become a published author. After attending a retreat where Susannah tutored, I still draw on the insights she shared and I know many other writers who swear by her input. Highly recommended!”
—Deborah O’Donoghue, author of debut novel, Sea Of Bones
“I can genuinely say that my first novel for children might have never seen the light of day, if I haven’t met Susannah. After a couple of years of starts and stops, rumination and self-doubt I gave the manuscript to Susannah and her first reading and feedback gave me a sense of security, and confidence that it could be done. Susannah has an amazing ability to focus on the tiny details while keeping in her mind’s eye the bigger picture within each individual paragraph, chapter, and the whole book. I am incredibly grateful for the chance of working with her.”
—Julia B Grantham, author of the bestselling children’s novel A Mole Like No Other
