marlowe starling
Let me be your writing coach!
Struggling with an important admissions essay or application? Don't worry -- I have a natural knack for sculpting once-dull writing into a powerful punch. As a science and environmental reporter, I've built the most important skills for editing: knowing how to tell a story, adhering to tricky grammar rules, condensing complicated language, and the list goes on. Whatever your needs, I'm happy (truly!) to help you get your words where they need to be. And, hopefully, you'll get a great lesson in editing and revising.
Importantly, my editing isn't what you can get on Grammarly or other proofreading services. While I can't resist tweaking a misused comma here and there, the bulk of my editing is far deeper than surface-level fixes. That includes suggesting how to re-word a sentence, better ways to grab your reader in the first paragraph, rearranging sections to make more logical sense, spotting errors in language, and suggesting ways to strengthen the power of your words. If I know who your audience is, I know what you need to strengthen your writing.
*Note: I will NOT, under any circumstances, take clients who want me to edit or rewrite school assignments. That's cheating, and I'm not about it!
1
Why should I hire you?
With more than seven years of journalism training under my belt and a slew of clips to prove it, my brain is built to identify areas of improvement in any piece of writing. Plus, I love it -- there's nothing like the satisfaction of marking up an essay or news article. I'm also working toward my Master's degree at NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, where the best award-winning science journalists are teaching me how to become a better journalist. As such, all I do (sad, I know) is read, write, write some more, re-write, revise, re-write, and edit to my heart's content.
2
What clients will you take?
Anyone! Most of my clients tend to be high school or college students who want high-quality editing help and rich feedback on their admissions essays for undergraduate schools, graduate programs, and even dental school. But I've also edited content for startups, looked over important emails, given feedback on cover letters and more. The only pieces I won't edit are school assignments -- that's cheating, folks!
3
Great, so how does this work?
To submit a request, send me an email through my contact form, and let me know you're interested by including something along the lines of "Writing Coach Request" in the subject line. I will respond to requests within 24-48 hours with rates and answers to any questions you might have. I can't wait to hear from you!
4
What can I expect?
I take a deep-dive into any editing project: Usually, the more comments and red text, the better. Once I've read and edited your written work, I will send it back to you within a reasonable time frame based on any limitations or deadlines you express to me in your request. I charge by word count, which I will outline for you in email. (Whether your word count increases or decreases after edits is irrelevant to the amount I charge. I use your base word count to determine how much you'll pay me.) If you wish, we can also set up a one-on-one video call to discuss my suggestions, answer your questions and chat about anything else you like. Zoom calls are an additional $70 an hour.
If you're looking for someone to help you through the entire writing process, Marlowe is your person! Not only does she edit for grammar, syntax and content, she truly makes you think about every single word. Marlowe took her time to explain each of her edits and make suggestions to take my essay to the next level. I can't recommend her enough - she made such a daunting process feel enjoyable!
- Albany
One of the best decisions I’ve made when applying to dental school was to get my essays professionally reviewed by Marlowe. She works one-on-one with you to get your point across on your essays and makes sure that admissions know who you are. I can’t think of a better person or better service to go to when applying to graduate school.