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Manuscript Evaluation

What I offer:
On a one to two hour phone or skype meeting, I will give you an in-depth analysis of the manuscript, focusing on strengths and areas that need work.

We will discuss character development, dramatic tension, structure, voice, setting, pacing, and consistency and effectiveness of the chosen Point-of-View. I will offer you specific suggestions on how you might address weaknesses and improve the work.

I place strong emphasis on:
Developing dynamic, believable characters~
Dramatic tension, and building the dramatic arc~
Sense of place and enriching the sensory fabric of the work~

 

I also work with Memoir, which makes use of fictional techniques to bring the story to life on the page.

Please address queries to: nightsea21@nyc.rr.com




 

~Testimonials~

“Before studying with Regina McBride, I struggled with my story and its interconnected characters. Through unique visualization exercises, which she has developed; I was able to discover the true nature of each.
 
“Maintaining a supportive atmosphere, she actively listened and her feedback inspired insight and growth. An accomplished writer and masterful teacher, Regina McBride showed me the way to unlock my
characters’ journeys and to engage the senses.”
 
-Alice Simpson, Author, BALLROOM, Harper (HarperCollins), 2014

 

"Regina has been my writing teacher for some 20 years, though it would be more accurate to call her an inspirer, a comprehender, a booster, an interpreter, and an appreciator.  Regina is a sensitive and intuitive reader, who knows how to grasp a text and see what's marvelous about it -- and what elements might be best revised or jettisoned to make it work even better.   Regina comes at critique from a positive perspective, but she's never namby-pamby, and engages with the writer at a high level of seriousness, giving feedback that's both useful and practical, as well as inspiring and enlivening."

-NancyKay Shapiro, Author, What Love Means to You People, St. Martin’s Press, 2006

 

“I have worked with Regina McBride on two novels.  She is inspirational as a coach and has a strong guiding hand when it comes to identifying which areas to push and how to maximize the dramatic intention of scenes while honoring your role as the writer.   She is a master at unearthing motivations in character and in assessing the narrative arc and she does it in a quiet nurturing way that allows you, the writer, to get out of your own way.  I have an M.F.A. from Columbia University and nearly all that I know I have learned from Regina McBride.   She has aptly been described as an "emotional midwife,"  --  if you are willing to allow someone to support you through the highs and lows of the creative process as well as to lend a magisterial hand, Regina McBride is your editor.”

-Hope Brennan, Author, Thanksgiving, a novel-in-progress

 

“Regina McBride has provided manuscript evaluations for me on two separate occasions now and has been in each instance a powerful voice and advocate for both story and language.  With her guidance, I have been able to craft far stronger character, narrative movement, atmosphere, and dialogue.  I chose Regina for evaluation after reading her beautiful novels and responding powerfully to her use of language to create tangible worlds.  It is this same talent and care she brings to her evaluations of others’ works, combined with her directness, honesty, and emotional forthrightness.  She did not simply tell me what I hoped to or wanted to hear; instead, her evaluations provided me with what I needed to hear in order to bring my own work to life.”  

-Therese M Handley, Author, Elemental: A Romance of the American West, and A Legacy of Drowning, Wordclay Books, 2011, and 2013

 

“It has been a privilege studying with Regina McBride.  Her writing circles are magical.  She has given me access to an unconscious flow of language richer and more varied than any thing I had produced before; my ear for description has intensified.  I am learning to render characters with depth and nuance.  Regina is a sensitive and intuitive listener.  Her comments are gentle and perceptive.  I have come to recognize the strengths in my writing while looking for ways to compress the narrative and give more vibrant life to the characters.  Regina is a caring, committed teacher, who strives to bring out what is best in her students.”

 -Stephanie Hart, Author, Mirror Mirror:  A Collection of Memoirs and Stories  (And Then Press, 2012)

 

"I've worked with Regina McBride for more than 20 years.  During that time, I've found that my own writing and that of other longtime students have improved enormously.  Better than any other writing teacher I know, Regina has the ability to take the long view -- an overview --- of someone's work, and comment on the whole.  Her perspective not only improves but deepens work in progress."

-Ann Marie Cunningham, Co-Author with Ryan White, Ryan White: My Own Story

 

“Simply stated, Regina McBride is the most giving of teachers. She offers intellectual insights that are thoughtful and genius.  She sees not with her eyes, but with William Blake’s “mind’s eye” and offers her students wonderful pearls of wisdom in forms of intelligent gifts. Her ability as an excellent editor offers her specific and sensorial insights into her students’ psyches, and is able to steer them to their best potential.  I have been a student and disciple of Regina’s for almost two decades, and I am continually amazed, enlightened, and enriched by her love and thoughtfulness. And as in her writing, Regina continuously offers lessons on how to live with each other.” 

-Jason S. Price is a poet and fiction writer. His works include, To Emma’s Gravestone & other poems, Weapons of Minor Destruction: poems for Belize, leaves of love, pearls and other poems, and The Constitution of Maya Smalls: a novel, 2011 - 2015