Manuscript Consultations
No one really wants to read your stuff.
Unless, of course, the first sentence—whether by word choice or structure or simple statement of fictional fact—makes them think about the world in a new light.
Unless the first paragraph hints at such an intriguing set-up that it’s absolutely clear not reading further would be a mistake.
Unless the first page has opened that intriguing set-up to include a familiar emotion, compelling character or indelible image.
Unless subsequent pages grab the reader by the throat or the heart, the brain or guts, with exquisite scenes delineating compelling events.
Unless the ending suggests that the life of the story itself is never ending.
These aren’t rules, merely suggestions. As a reader I’m looking for the story that won’t let me stop reading it, the story that invites me to devour its sentences, to create a movie or a dream in my head, to dive into exciting new worlds or gain surprising insight into familiar ones.
I’m looking for – and am constantly striving to create – stories that allow the reader to be more intimate with its characters than we are with our families, than we dare to be with ourselves. Stories that inspire us to love or hate the mirrors those characters create, and that reflect truths about ourselves we never knew.
Stories that twist us with surprising turns, that conjure images that shimmer with subtle revelation. Dialogue layered with truth and emotion, yearning and humor.
Stories that make us read more slowly to forestall the inevitable, the climax where we hold our breath, the resolution that lets us breathe again, the ending finally having its way with us, until we are reborn as a person who’s been moved by something that never really happened.
Except: something very important happened indeed.
Whether they’re flash fiction, short stories, chapbooks, collections, novels or novellas, these are the kinds of narratives I love to read. They’re the kinds of stories I want to help you create.
Contact me for rates and timing.
Testimonials
“I have been working on my comedic novel “Cautionary Tales of Love” for years, on and off. After the encouragement of making it to the quarter finals of a Writer’s Guild competition, I sent my novel out only to find out it needed a lot of work. I was discouraged and wasn’t sure how to fix it. Along came Tracy DeBrincat, Editor Extraordinaire. Not only is she an award-winning novelist, but she has an eye and an ear for details, inconsistencies, structural flaws and how to fix them. She gave me a clear roadmap to fix my novel, examples of similar writing to help me, page-by-page comments, incisive critique and all delivered with kindness. She is fantastic. It is obvious she took ample time to not only read but re-read each chapter of my novel and thoughtfully put her suggestions and ideas on paper. She also told me what she liked. She has given me hope. Every novelist needs a Tracy DeBrincat.”
— Denise Munro Robb
“I’ve known Tracy for many years, first as a stunning, fresh-voiced ultra-human writer, then as an insightful, accurate and inspiring critic of both my work and other writers I know. Tracy identifies problem areas, but more importantly, she provides solutions within the style or theme of the piece. When I need objective and constructive help, I turned to Tracy with poetry, fiction and, and especially, for me, screenplays. It’s always been the right move. My highest recommendation!”
— Roger Soffer, Screenwriter
“Working with Tracy is almost magical, like sparklers on your birthday cake and every wish comes true. Her expertise and intuitive insights into character and story take your script to the next level and beyond. Tracy is an absolute gem!”
— Deborah George, co-author “Ignatius Rising: The Life of John Kennedy Toole”