Celia Chalfoun - Editor

Overview

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As an English and French speaking editor (on my way to add Hindi to the list), I have the privilege to read speculative fiction from all over the world. In my opinion, reading stories from as many countries and cultures as possible is vital to be a good editor: it questions my habits and my thoughts, leads me to always learn something new. And isn't that what speculative fiction is all about, moving forward, moving farther, finding new visions and perspectives, adding to the collective wisdom?

Reading a manuscript is diving into the unique, original world of a writer who has spent thousands of hours working on her/his story. As a writer myself, I understand the work that comes with the craft, and I will focus my time and energy in helping you take your manuscript to the next level.

I strive to provide:

- helpful, detailed comments;
- clear guidance while respecting your voice and working on what makes you unique;
- a strong focus on world creation: plot holes, character instabilities, shortcuts, simplistic social descriptions… every manuscript has its issues and it would not be fair to ask of yourselves to find them all: after so much time spent on a story, it is normal to become oblivious to some aspects of it;
- help through a tool called mind-mapping: I love to draw diagrams. They reveal so much about the inherent structure of a story and the movements between characters and events;
- an attention to the point of view and its related issues: does you story need one or several points of view? Does the point of view shift within the story, without any apparent reason? Through a misuse of the point of view, are you infodumping and/or can we improve the incluing?
- an analysis of the symbolism: specific images, shapes, colors, traits… will be recurrent in your manuscript. I will help you shed light on your symbols, understand their signification and tie them together.

A few random facts about me: I live in Princeton, NJ, after having lived in France (where I was born), Canada and India; every year, I attend Elisabeth Vonarburg's (The Maerlande Chronicles, Silent City) workshop and come home after one week, exhausted but full of new ideas to apply to my work; I have a lovely cat who never stops meowing and brings me once in a while a cooked potato from a place I am yet to locate; I have taught workshops at Princeton University on how to write speculative fiction; and I drink tea by the gallon.

Please feel free to contact me for any question. I am always glad to answer them!

Celia