Feel-Good Grammar Clinics
Okay, let’s get this straight—at Firefly, we embrace expression in all its forms. We love creative misspellings, inventive syntax, and imaginative use of punctuation. We don’t believe that writers need perfect grammar in order to write beautiful, important work. Firefly writing facilitators and coaches will never wrap your knuckles or correct your “mistakes”. In fact, we probably won’t even notice them.
And while that is true, we also know that for some people, knowing how to fit their ideas into the current conventions of grammar can be a huge creative confidence-booster, and can unleash a lot of flow. For some of us, grammar means power.
It’s with this in mind that we have created a “Nerdy Firefly” wing, run by the wonderful Sarah MacKinnon, a phenomenally sharp copy editor with a big heart and amazing communication skills. She is here to help all you sweet fireflies who want to dot your i’s and cross your t’s just right…and want a safe and loving space to learn how.
Here’s how Feel-Good Grammar Clinics work:
You fill in an intake form and include up to 2,500 words of your work. You’ll hear back from Sarah within a couple of days. She’ll warmly welcome you and give you an ETA on when she’ll send you your package, typically one week later. (With two small kids at home, her schedule differs day to day.) She will polish your 2,500 words to a shine, leaving you little notes throughout explaining what she’s doing and why. Then she’ll write you a letter with an overview and she create a personalized “cheat sheet” for you to have close by when you get back to writing. She will be available for up to two follow-up emails over the next couple of months to clarify any questions you might still have.
 | Sarah MacKinnon is a ukulele-strumming copy-editor and mother of two in Vancouver, BC. Her first job with Firefly was to edit this entire website, back when it first launched. I thought this task would be a nightmare, but Sarah’s warm demeanor and amazing communication skills made it fun and breezy. When we thought about launching “Nerdy Firefly”, Sarah was a shoe-in. Sarah was born in Prince Edward Island and grew up in Nova Scotia, where she studied textile art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University). When she’s not editing, playing the ukulele, or crocheting, Sarah can be found chasing her energetic children. |
Feel-Good Grammar Clinics are perfect for people who:
~ Are stuck behind the fear of “doing it wrong” but aren’t sure what they’re doing wrong.
~ Snoozed through that part of English class, and can’t find grammar help that feels good.
~ May want to publish down the line and don’t want to pay to have their whole manuscript professionally edited later. (Well, you’ll probably still want do that, but it will cost a lot less if you’ve been working within the conventions all along.)
Feel-Good Grammar Clinics aren’t for people who:
~ Have a long, finished manuscript that needs copy editing. (Ask us about Sarah’s rates for editing longer manuscripts.)
~ Want deep, substantive feedback on their work. (Look to Firefly’s manuscript services for that.
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You can expect to walk away with:
~ 2,500 words of beautifully copy-edited work.
~ A clear idea of your typical grammar mis-steps.
~ Grammar rules explained in a clear, empowering way.
~ Further clarification on anything you don’t absorb right away.
Moulah:
This cost for this service is $250.
Questions?
Drop Bree a line. She’s an expert on all things Firefly.
Ready to sign up?
Click here to fill out an intake form. This will walk you through the registration and payment process. Have your 2,500 words of work ready; the form will ask you to include it. When it’s in, you’ll hear from Sarah within a couple days!
What people are saying:
 | Reading Sarah's comments, I felt a sense of relief that I had chosen a professional to help me. It turns out I regularly made grammatical errors that I wasn't aware of. Sarah's manner is enthusiastic and friendly, yet clear and precise. On the promised deadline, she sent me detailed comment sheets that were simple to read, and links to areas of grammar where I could use improvement. I even got a handy 'cheat sheet' summarizing the main points of our work together, which makes it very simple to refer to at a later date. This experience has made the intimidating subject of grammar much clearer, and a lot less scary, I'm so glad I did it! ~ Jill Mappin |