You've Read Your Draft a Dozen Times
So Why Does It Still Not Feel Right?
A step-by-step line & copyediting course for fiction writers who want to revise their manuscript to a professional standard—with personalized feedback from a professional editor—without hiring one yet.
Price: $397
Created by a professional editor & indie author specializing in fiction. I built this course combining the real & techniques I use when I edit client novels with a clear framework I've tested on my own novels.
So You've Written a Manuscript... Now What?
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You've read the craft books and watched the YouTube videos—show don't tell, tighten your prose, kill your adverbs.
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You've maybe even sent chapters to beta readers, only to get feedback like "something felt a bit off" with no real idea what that means or how to fix it.
And still, every time you open your draft, that feeling is there. Something isn't quite right. And the harder you stare at it, the less you can see.
What you actually want is simple: a manuscript you feel genuinely confident about.
One you can send to an agent or hit publish on without that nagging feeling it's not ready yet.
Most writing advice tells you what good prose looks like. It doesn't show you the techniques behind it. Those techniques are learnable. And once you have them, revising your own work starts to feel a lot less like guesswork.
Why It Feels So Hard
Writing a story and editing one are two very different skills—and almost nobody teaches the second one.
Most craft books and YouTube videos focus on writing:
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How to build a scene.
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How to develop a character.
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How to structure a plot.
That's all useful, but it doesn't help you when you're staring at a finished sentence that's almost right and you can't figure out what to change.
Line editing has specific techniques underneath it:
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Controlling how close or distant a reader feels from your character.
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Recognising that a verb is carrying the wrong emotional weight.
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Knowing exactly what a "filter word" is and why it creates distance.
These are learnable skills, but you have to know what to look for first.
That's what this course is for.
What a Paragraph Looks Like
Through an Editorial Eye
None of these are obvious errors. The passage is grammatically correct. Once you can see these, and know what to do about them, revision stops feeling like guesswork.
What Prose Revision Mastery Is
Prose Revision Mastery is a step-by-step line and copyediting course for fiction writers. It walks you through 15 modules of specific techniques, each one applied to your own manuscript—with a professional editor reviewing your work at every step.
By the end of it, you'll have a clear, repeatable process for revising your own prose, and a chapter that reads like it's already been professionally edited to show for it.
This course is designed for fiction writers who have a draft and are ready to work at the sentence level. It's not about plot or structure—those need to be in place first. It's purely about the prose.
How It Works
Every module follows the same three-step structure.
Theory
Learn the technique and why it matters.
Example
See it applied to a real chapter before you try.
Homework & Feedback
Apply it to your manuscript, then submit for annotated review.
That last step is what makes the difference. You're working through every technique on your own writing, with a professional editor reviewing it at every stage.
The Feedback
Most courses give you the content and leave you to figure out the rest on your own. This one doesn't.
30
rounds of personalized, annotated feedback | 2-week turnaround
After each module, submit your work (up to 500 words) and get targeted, actionable notes from a pro editor.
I'll return detailed, annotated feedback within two weeks—specific notes on what's working, what isn't, and what to focus on next.
That's not a small thing. For a course at this price point, this level of access to a professional editor is unusual. You're not just watching videos and hoping you're applying things correctly—you'll know.
Does it feel a bit scary to share your writing?
That's normal. Every time I send my own work to an editor or beta reader or anyone else who gives feedback, I'm nervous. Our inner critics will always give us doubt.
But I promise my feedback is only meant to be supportive. I'm here to lift you up, not tear you down.
"This is kind of amazing. I've never seen anyone do this in a course—I think most people who make courses just want to put it up and be done."
—Beta student feedback
What You'll Be Able to Do
After working through this course, you can:
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define your voice across three distinct layers so every revision decision is intentional
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handle exposition and backstory without stopping your story's momentum
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cut the words that add nothing—filler, redundancy, echo words—and know which repetition is deliberate
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identify and remove filter words that create distance between reader and character
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choose verbs that carry both image and emotion (this is what "show don't tell" actually looks like in practice)
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write dialogue with real conflict, distinct voices, and subtext
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build emotion into the language of a scene, not just the events
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control the pace and rhythm of your sentences so they match the emotional beat of each moment
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build and maintain a style sheet so your manuscript is consistent from first page to last
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revise any chapter using a six-pass quick revision method you can use on every book from here on.
What's Inside
Phase 1 | Modules 1–2
Foundation: Voice & POV
What your voice is actually made of & how to fix POV issues (talking heads, head-hopping, stage direction, navelgazing).
Phase 3 | Modules 4–7
The Line Editing Toolkit
Filler words, echoes, filter words, weak verbs—the four techniques that sharpen prose most efficiently.
Phase 5 | Modules 12–14
Copyediting
Style sheets, grammar, spelling, and punctuation; the pass that catches what everything else misses.
Phase 2 | Module 3
Exposition & Description
Handle backstory without pausing your story. Anchor description in your POV character's perspective.
Phase 4 | Modules 8–11
Scene Craft
Dialogue with real conflict and subtext. Emotion in the language. Sentence-level pacing.
Phase 6 | Module 15
The System
A six-pass quick revision method you can use on any chapter, for any book, from here on.
The Six-Pass Quick Revision Method
Pre-Revision Voice Check: Author, narrator, and POV character voice.
Step 1. Style Sheet Pass: Continuity for names, spellings, timeline, and plot points.
Step 2. POV & Exposition: The bigger structural issues at sentence level.
Step 3. Line Editing Pass: Filler, echoes, filter words, and weak verbs.
Step 4. Dialogue & Tags: Conflict, subtext, action beats, and character voice.
Step 5. Read Aloud: Pacing, flow, and emotion (and some grammar/spelling errors).
Step 6. Mechanics: Final check for grammar & spelling.
Everything You Get
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15 modules covering the complete line and copyediting process
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Video lessons with closed captions, adjustable speed, and full-screen options
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Downloadable text lesson (PDF) for those who prefer reading
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Audio-only version of every theory lesson for learning on the go
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All downloads centralized in a dedicated Downloads module so nothing gets buried
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Up to 30 rounds of personalized, annotated feedback from a professional editor (2-week turnaround)
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A filler words reference list—customisable to your own writing habits
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A style sheet template to build on
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A six-pass quick revision tracker
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A progress and planning tracker (Google Sheet)—including a time-efficient one-page option for working through the course when writing time is limited
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A weak verbs cheat sheet
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Discord community access
Who's Behind This Course?
Hi, I'm Iris!
I'm a freelance fiction editor specializing in fantasy & mystery. I've been working with authors on line & copyediting for over 5 years. And I love that job.
But I actually taught myself to be an editor because I'm a fiction writer. While there are so many resources and courses on writing your first draft, there aren't that many to teach you how to effectively self-edit your work (and know whether you've applied it correctly).
Although editing someone else's book is an entirely different experience from editing your own, we can still use those same techniques to elevate our stories, even if we're too broke for a professional editor. (Yes, that's also me. Ironic, right?)
This is the framework I created for myself. And it's the one I wish more authors had access to. (Learn more about me.)
What Writers Say About Iris's Editing...
"Iris is a true professional and spot on when it comes to editing."
Cherie Ruffo, fantasy writer
"(I) encourage others to use her expertise and knowledge to elevate their writing as well!"
Kat Wallace, fantasy author
"Always respectful of my work, Iris's edits feel like they always belonged--as though she helped free up my voice."
Misty Fields, nonfiction author
What Happens When It Works
You open your manuscript and know what to look for. The revision process starts to feel less like circling the same sentences and more like working through something you understand and trust.
The techniques become part of how you write so each new draft is cleaner than the last.
When you do eventually work with a professional editor, you'll get more out of it, because you'll know what they're talking about.
And you'll feel confident sending your work out. That's not a small thing.
Is This Right for You?
A Good Fit If:
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Your draft is past the developmental stage.
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You're preparing to self-publish or query.
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You want to build a skill, not just fix one manuscript.
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You'll do the homework and submit for feedback.
Probably Not for You If:
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You're still working on plot or structure.
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You write nonfiction.
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You're looking for something that does the editing for you.
Short on Time?
The course includes a progress and planning tracker (Google Sheet) with a time-efficient option for working through the modules with one page of your manuscript instead of a full chapter.
Same system, smaller scope—everything still applies, and you still get feedback at each step.
If you're working in limited windows, this is how to get the most out of the course without spending all your time working on one chapter.
Payment Plans
Other programs that include feedback are usually open for a limited time and come with a hefty price tag. This course isn’t priced like that.
You can join any time. You get feedback from a working editor for 12+ months.
Below are 3 payment plans to make this course as accessible as possible: in full, 6 months, or 12 months. Pick whichever is right for you.
Enroll now, and you’ll receive an email with immediate access to all modules, a tracking spreadsheet, and feedback. You can submit your writing for feedback as soon as you’re ready.
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