Clients' and Students' Experiences

Interested in my coaching or teaching specifically? Click here to jump to coaching clients' experiences, or click here to find students' accounts of our work together.

editing clients say ...

When I first hired Eliot to edit my work, I was nervous. I knew, based on the sample edit, that they would make my books better, but my experiences with editing in the past had always brought back to me the specter of a displeased English professor. But I needn’t have worried. Eliot works hard to read and understand the text with the shrewdest possible eye. They leave insightful comments and questions to help me clarify my work and improve my word choice. They discover terms I’ve overused and ideas I’ve underthought. And they’re always kind and gentle. I’ve never felt bad or shamed for getting the wrong end of the stick; they just suggest better ways to handle things. I am glad I took the chance to hire them for Dionysus in Wisconsin and wholly recommend them for all your editing needs!
—E.H. Lupton, Author, Wisconsin Gothic series

I worked with Eliot over the course of six months to completely transform my novel and breathe life into a story I had been struggling with for years. The direction, feedback, and support Eliot provided was invaluable. Eliot was  an incredible editor, creative sounding board, and compassionate guide throughout the entire process. From day one, I felt Eliot truly understood the story I was trying to tell. Eliot honored the heart of the project and never once made me feel judged, even when the material was deeply personal. As someone writing about neurodivergence, it meant a lot to feel so seen and supported. Through outlining exercises, detailed feedback sessions, line edits, and story development conversations, Eliot helped me bring clarity, depth, and emotional resonance to every chapter. The final manuscript is stronger in every possible way because of Eliot's insight.
—Jonathan Kohlmeier

Eliot is everything I want in working with a freelance copyeditor. They’re 100% on the ball, prompt and communicative, and they will nudge me to keep a project moving forward when necessary. Eliot’s work is always above and beyond: in addition to a well kept style sheet, each project includes an extensive and thoughtful list of comments and queries to the author. They are never shy about asking me clarifying questions, and their speed and accuracy are remarkable. Most of all, Eliot's affinity for handling LGTBQIA+ representation in romance is exactly what I need for my company's interactive fiction, which is written to be accessible to a wide spectrum of players. Don't hesitate to hire them.
—Mary Duffy, Editor, Choice of Games

I hired Eliot for their Idea Development service and a partial manuscript review when I felt stuck with a fiction project, and I am so glad I did. I was blown away by the concrete, thorough advice, and I really appreciated the examples and book suggestions. So much for me to think about!
—Anthony Martucci, Writer

I was quite nervous about the editing process, but Eliot guided me through my developmental edit with kindness and warmth. They were extremely compassionate and patient with me as a new author. Eliot took the time to thoroughly explain their edits and suggestions, making sure I understood each change and how they would improve my story and help to create more dynamic characters. Their flexibility with scheduling was also much appreciated: they worked hard to accommodate my limited availability during graduate school. I truly enjoyed working with them.
—Mara Norris, Author, Until Someday, Love Elliot

Eliot copyedited my interactive-fiction novel, Teahouse of the Gods. I appreciated their attention to detail working with a complex story set in a non-western world. Their work also stood out to me for their attention to neurodiversity and representation, which was reflected not only in the quality of their feedback, but also by their citation of respected sources and thoughtful discussions. As an added bonus for authors on a schedule, Eliot combines their literary and artistic acumen with clear communication and efficient project management to guide your story over the finish line to publication.
—Naca Rat, Author, Teahouse of the Gods

I have been working with Eliot West on revising my nonprofit's website—ensuring both consistency and inclusive language throughout and reducing redundancy—and, oh, my gosh, are they ever amazing! Way smarter than your average bear, with incredible attention to detail, and so much patience! I cannot recommend Eliot strongly enough, and I cannot imagine trying to complete any written project without their guidance. Every exclamation point and superlative here is entirely deserved!
—Nic Rosenau, Director, Planet Homeschool

I have had nothing but positive experiences working with Eliot. They have always been quick to respond to assignment requests and have consistently finished them on time. I’ve had multiple completed proofreads in my inbox from Eliot a day or two before I asked for them back and have never had to worry about them missing a deadline. This timeliness has never been a detriment to the quality of work either. Each book I've sent to Eliot has always come back in better shape.
—Luke Hanlon, Associate Editor, Red Line Editorial

Eliot was able to shine a light on a number of gaps in my draft that served to make the wording clearer and enabled the narrative to flow better. The partial line edit provided actionable and detailed feedback that I was able to apply to the rest of my draft. After working with Eliot, I am more confident that my manuscript will read much better than before. I highly recommend Eliot to other writers looking for a professional with a sharp editorial eye!
—Mariama Dumbuya, Author, Still Water, Skin

 

coaching clients say ...

Eliot is a compassionate and attentive writing coach. In the time spent with Eliot, I developed a routine that worked better for my current lifestyle challenges, reduced my feelings of guilt from lack of productivity, and established a new normal.
--Amara Lynn, Author

My experiences with Eliot West as a fiction coach and teacher have yielded great personal and intellectual growth. Eliot understands that writing is a deeply personal journey and treats each client and student as an individual. Their feedback and advice is fine-tuned and thoughtful. Eliot does not judge, yet is always truthful; does not push, yet is endlessly encouraging. They effectively teach the difficult skills of writing with a layer of kindness. I am thankful there are people like Eliot in the world.
—Patty Bohart, Writer

Working with Eliot was easy, even for someone with as much social anxiety as myself. I’d highly recommend them to anyone desperately seeking a new perspective for honing their craft, especially if you are concerned with characters and their interactions with each other. Eliot was reassuring and worked with me to determine the best method that suited me as an individual. Our coaching work together been monumentally encouraging, and I feel so much better about myself and my writing now.
—Nicole Wilkinson, Author

This coaching experience made me actually want to write again and showed me how to move forward. Eliot is understanding and compassionate, and though I'm a disorganised mess with a schedule made of chaos, they never made me feel like I couldn't do this. Their coaching made me feel a lot more patience and kindness towards myself and brought joy and excitement back into the process.
--Lawrie Groening, Writer and Editor

For years in pursuing my writing, I felt lost, isolated, and overwhelmed—obsessing about writing without actually putting the words down. And when I did actually face the blank page, I wrote broadly, but not forward. Eliot provided me a safe, supportive, inspired, and inspiring space to cut through all the mental noise and really zoom in on what I needed as a writer (and a person), where I wanted to go, and the path to start moving toward it in a way that feels personal and challenging (but not too challenging). Thanks to Eliot, I now have more confidence, focus, and joy in my relationship with writing that, previously, I only really fantasized about. If any of this is relatable, hire Eliot. Hire them now. You won’t regret it.
—Chris R-T, Coaching Client

 

students say ...

I really appreciate that in Eliot's classes I get to be myself and a writer—I think I’ve always thought I had to “be a writer” and therefore not myself, and it turns out it’s hard to be creative when you’re busy trying to not be yourself.
—Elise Chambers, Loft Literary Center Student and Wholehearted Writers Week Attendee

Eliot has helped me to look at revision through a new lens. As a teaching artist, they discern my needs as a learner, create curriculum that is engaging and fosters critical thinking about the craft of revision, and meet me where I am to help move me to a higher level of understanding. I look at revision of my writing with greater intentionality because of the work I have done with them. I love being able to tap into their expertise to improve my craft.
—Diane Bell, Writer and Student at The Loft Literary Center

Eliot West is an inclusive, well-informed, and supportive teacher. Throughout the course, Eliot's extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject (and their many romance novel recommendations!) really shone through, and I looked forward to logging on to the online portal each week to complete the assignments. I also appreciated that Eliot encouraged students to comment on each lesson, sparking insightful and fun exchanges. I highly recommend Eliot as an instructor and look forward to learning from them again in the future.
—Maya Berger, Editor

As a member of Lit!Commons at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, I have prized Eliot West’s writing instruction and guidance.  Eliot’s well-crafted lessons provide writers with practical and engaging strategies for revision and guides them to take the next best step wherever they are in the writing process. In a class setting, Eliot facilitates positive interactions with focused questions and invitations to share, providing students with thoughtful and analytical feedback. I thoroughly enjoy Eliot’s classes! 
—K. Zwolenski, Author

The Consent Workshop challenged some deeply-ingrained structures in our writing and in our social relationships that I found very exciting to explore. This workshop exposes our inherited belief structure and powerfully seeks to overthrow it. It's a fascinating look at our most intimate moments and how we negotiate our shared space. Consent is vital to healthy relationships and bringing this into our writing can help empower and validate the feelings of many who struggle to find their voice and boundaries.
—Christine Letiza, Author

Eliot is fantastic! The content—the interweaving of diversity as craft along with useful tips, discussion, writing exercises, homework—was so well done, and so so helpful. The instructor is clearly knowledgeable but humble and engaging, good at engaging the participants, offering suggestions, etc. I got so many new tools in my toolbox from this class.
—Plan and Start Your Romance Novel student