Welcome to HearWriteNow, an educational and information website for writers and other book lovers. HearWriteNow is run by Australian author Elle Carter Neal. Come on in, kick off your shoes, grab a cup of coffee, and have a look around.
Elle Carter Neal is the author of the teen science-fantasy Madison Lane and the Wand of Rasputin, picture book I Own All the Blue, and middle-grade fantasy The Convoluted Key. She has worked as an independent developmental editor since 2006.
In 2004 Elle retired from her career as an executive assistant to continue her vocation as a storyteller. She began her online presence as a teacher for Inspired to Write before moving to BellaOnline where she was the Creativity Editor from October 2005 to January 2008, and the Fiction Writing Editor from August 2006 to September 2008.
The moment Elle discovered as a child that the books she loved were created by people - talented people called "authors" - she knew she wanted to join them. She was already a popular storyteller at the tender age of eight; her impromptu stories in demand at sleepovers and her "theatrical productions" tolerated by family members. She created her own stapled-together books and filled their pages with her yarns.
Testimonials from editing clients and students:
Your ability to isolate the pivotal points of the novel and show how they can be improved is nothing short of astonishing.
Michael Woods
I can't believe how helpful it is to have my work picked apart the way you've done it. What I learned from your critiques about my writing was just as valuable as the hundreds of dollars I spent on "How-To" books on writing.
It's one thing to review the examples from real world examples of literature in those books, but it's entirely different and much more helpful to have the weaknesses of my own writing shown to me. I'm really glad I chose to use your service.
Paul Perron
[Elle] has critiqued many of my stories. She has a real eye for plot and character motivation and can see clearly when you've gone astray. Her grammar is spot on as well. Thanks to her, my story "The Rich People's School" recently appeared in the prestigious U.K. based literary magazine, Mslexia. I would highly recommend her.
Lauri Kubuitsile - author of The Fatal Payout (Macmillan) and Can He Be the One? (Sapphire Press)
"Without my editor I would never have come this far. This story would not be what it is without the marvelous input and amazing work of Elle Neal. I am so grateful for her insights and wise reflections. I once feared my dyslexia, but thanks to Elle that fear crumbled. She made me believe that I am capable of great things. Thank you Elle! Thanks so, so much for the time you gave me, and the gift of your skills."
Kylie Leane, Key
"Thank you so much for your peer critique... I really hadn't expected such a detailed response. I am immensely grateful to you for the good, solid advice you have given. You only had a small excerpt to work with, yet you understood perfectly the problem I'm having... I'm considering all the possibilities you suggested.
"Your comments concerning the prologue are spot on and easily put right; yet I would never, never have seen it had you not pointed it out. Thanks.
"You've given me a great deal to think about. And a lot to work on. It goes almost without saying, I should like to submit further excerpts and possibly the final draft in due course.
Michael Woods, The Lost Explorer
ecn AT hearwritenow DOT com