Client Reviews
“Crystal's greatest asset is that she sees a given piece of writing both for what it is and what it aspires to be. She instantly tunes into the writer's strengths and knows how to cultivate them in the text, all the while nudging and coaxing the story toward becoming the best version of itself.
When my screenplays come under the lamp beam of Crystal's gaze, useless dialog melts away, poorly sketched characters get fleshed out, and a saggy 130-page draft turns into a tight 110. Briefly put, her worthy notes are worth every cent.”
— Jake Baskin, screenwriter and editor
“I worked with Crystal in the very early stages of my novel. She functioned mostly as a developmental editor with some copyediting thrown in for good measure.
Her insight and comments were invaluable to me. She was able to pinpoint the weaknesses in the story, while helping to build up the parts that really worked. I don't think there was one suggestion she made that I didn't incorporate into a later draft.
Editing and helping people tell their stories is Crystal's passion, and my book is all the better for it.”
— Kristen Ortner, novelist
“This book would not have seen the light of day had it not been for Crystal Adaway. She pored over my crude early drafts and turned a hodgepodge into coherent presentation. Her numerous suggestions were always framed with warm support that gave me the desire to forge on. I am grateful for her care.”
— Raymond Clarke, PhD, author of Fieldwork: The Life and Mind of a Biologist
“Crystal is delightful and professional to work with. She's a skillful wordsmith, a creative writer, and a reliable and flexible collaborator. Any business that wants its services to stand out would benefit from her discerning eye and well-crafted keystrokes, including tech companies, educational and nonprofit organizations, and retail sales.”
— Nicole Burton, novelist and playwright
“Every author should have a trusted partner and friendly editor who understands what they are trying to say, and then makes it better. I am forever grateful and blessed to have found such a person and professional as Crystal Adaway, who took scrambled, passionate, and impractical prose and shaped its content and process without compromising the heart and soul.
What an incredible gift of mind and nature! I am honored to walk and work with her, and I look forward to our next chapters.”
— Dr. Michael Schultz, family therapist and author of Systems Consultation When Trauma Strikes: Stories of Hope, Collaboration, and Change
“I so value, and dare I say it, I love the pattern of thinking you’ve canceled a really good line to then see that you’ve repositioned it to have greater impact
This, maybe, has been my favorite part of working together in this copyediting stage.”