Seth Harwood – Editor

I work as a writing coach for serious fiction writers who really want to understand how novels work and are ready to commit fully to learning the craft.

Some of the writers I work with are deep into revision. Others are earlier in the process but know they don’t want to guess their way forward. What matters more than where you are in the draft is how willing you are to think, question assumptions, and take responsibility for the work.

My focus is structural revision and story logic. I help writers see what their manuscript is actually doing, how it comes across on the page to readers, and which underlying decisions are weakening the work. This is not line editing or copyediting. I don’t polish sentences or fix pages in isolation. I work at the level of structure, consequence, and clarity.

This is not line editing or copyediting.

Most of the writers I work with already have talent. What they’re missing is not effort, but orientation. They’re working hard without a clear sense of what the novel is really asking of them. Our work is about developing that understanding so each choice builds toward something deliberate rather than accidental.

The work happens primarily in live conversation. Writers send material in advance, I read and listen closely, and then we talk through what actually matters. I won’t tell you what to write, but I will help you see where the work is hedging, confusing itself, or pulling away from its own implications.

This is a good fit if you want to genuinely learn how novels work, are willing to revise or rethink your approach, and are prepared to engage seriously with the process. It’s especially useful if you’re tired of surface-level advice and want to develop real judgment about your own work.

This is not a good fit if you’re looking for line edits, grammar fixes, or someone to polish pages for you. It’s also not a good fit if you want quick reassurance without being challenged, or if you’re not yet ready to commit sustained attention to the work.

If you contact me, please include a brief note about what you’re trying to understand or change in your writing right now. You don’t need to have a finished draft — just a real question you’re willing to sit with.