Here's what a few have had to say about my assistance.
Peg Alford Pursell’s insights were invaluable as I revised the draft of my novella Bridge. She offered detailed comments on every page as well as an overall perspective. As I read her comments I felt she was sitting by my side reading the manuscript with me and reflecting back to me how it was experienced by a warm, sympathetic reader who was also demanding and questioning. She drew my attention to the exact points that needed clarification, but never in a way that detracted from the sense of mystery and imagination, and she often noticed connections between images and themes in the book that I hadn’t seen myself. Peg urged more concision in sections that needed it, but was not hesitant to urge expansion in sections where that was needed. She never told me what to do but rather directed my attention to just the issues that I needed to think through, such as the reliability (and unreliability) of my narrator. I kept Peg’s comments close by my side as I worked on a thorough revision of the manuscript, and it was certainly no coincidence that Bridge was accepted for publication shortly after the revision I did with Peg’s help.
— Robert Thomas, author of Bridge, winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Fiction 2015
Peg Alford Pursell is one of the best editors, or manuscript consultants, I have yet encountered. She sees straight into a story's heart; she sees deeply into its intention—but she also discerns a story's components, and everything that makes it tick (or falter): its bones, organs, skin. With a steady and meticulous eye on language, she also brings to bear an almost shockingly accurate instinct for what material or elements of a story may be missing or still necessary, as well as for what material may not quite fit, or be serving the organic whole.
Peg's methods and manner are so thoughtful, kind, and respectful that a writer feels understood, supported, and directly helped—I mean crucial levels of help—all at the same time. Her suggested edits and adjustments have proved, to me, no less than brilliant. Peg gets it. Working with her has been a rich privilege, and a real boon for my work.
— Joan Frank, author of In Envy Country, Make It Stay and Because You Have To: A Writing Life
Originality and sensitivity are behind the intelligence of Peg Alford Pursell's stories. Her editorial insights are like that, too. Illuminating theme, she sees where in my writing I can dig deeper and encourages me to cultivate my most honest voice. Peg's editorial support shows the best effects of academic rigor, artistic inquiry, and her deep dedication to the craft, all served with compassion and humor. She is everything serious writers could hope for in an editor.
— Nancy Au, author of Spider Love Songs and Other Stories
Peg Alford Pursell is an acutely talented and astute editor. She sees the forest *and* the trees, raising sensitive and probing questions about the work as a whole while providing a master class in line editing. I've seen her do this for writers with a wide range of styles, always respecting voice and vision. Peg is a dream reader. She'll help make your work better, more true, more essential.
— Genanne Walsh, author of Twister, winner of the Big Moose Prize from Black Lawrence Press, 2015.
What is the difference between "ran" and "raced," between "filled" and "caked," between "dirt" and "mud"? These words are synonyms, and in the colloquial speech we're most likely to use the more common choices: ran, filled, dirt. In fiction, however, where each word can alter the connotations of a story, a writer must have imagination and depth of knowledge to be able to choose the most powerful and precise vocabulary. This is also the area where a skillful editor with a keen eye for prose can be very effective and uplift the story from the realm of everyday to literature. Peg Alford Pursell's kind attention to my work helped me to think deeply about the characters and situations I was creating and to deliver them to the page with maximum precision. Ultimately, Peg's guidance allowed my pieces to stand out in the eyes of magazine editors who have accepted my stories for publication. My stories have appeared in Santa Monica Review, Narrative Magazine, Prick of the Spindle, elimae, and other literary journals.
— Olga Zilberbourg, author of two collections of short stories published in Russia, where she was born in 1979. She is an associate editor at Narrative Magazine.
That's the best editing job I've ever seen. You are excellent at that, and I'm going to study what you did. Thank you.
— Ilana Simons, author of A Life of One's Own: A Guide to Better Living through the Work and Wisdom of Virginia Woolf (Penguin 2007). She is a clinical psychologist, a painter, and a literature professor at The New School in NYC.
Peg put a great deal of work into my manuscript and was extremely thorough. As important was feeling that I had a sympathetic reader in Peg. Her ideas were immensely helpful, and even though I had combed the manuscript several times, she pointed out details and timing issues I had missed and helped me clarify problems concerning theme and meaning. Because it’s easy to become overwhelmed when receiving feedback, it was an unexpected bonus to receive her suggestions as to how to proceed regarding next steps.
I want to mention her clarity as to the process. I knew exactly when she would begin and when she would finish. That meant I didn’t have to wonder if she received the manuscript, where she was in the process or when I would get her feedback. Her feedback itself was equally clear. She assured me she was open to questions but because the feedback was so clear I had only one small question.
— Mardith Louisell, short story and essay writer, author of BESIDE MYSELF, a manuscript of connected flash fiction stories.
Peg Alford Pursell’s insights were invaluable as I revised the draft of my novella Bridge. She offered detailed comments on every page as well as an overall perspective. As I read her comments I felt she was sitting by my side reading the manuscript with me and reflecting back to me how it was experienced by a warm, sympathetic reader who was also demanding and questioning. She drew my attention to the exact points that needed clarification, but never in a way that detracted from the sense of mystery and imagination, and she often noticed connections between images and themes in the book that I hadn’t seen myself. Peg urged more concision in sections that needed it, but was not hesitant to urge expansion in sections where that was needed. She never told me what to do but rather directed my attention to just the issues that I needed to think through, such as the reliability (and unreliability) of my narrator. I kept Peg’s comments close by my side as I worked on a thorough revision of the manuscript, and it was certainly no coincidence that Bridge was accepted for publication shortly after the revision I did with Peg’s help.
— Robert Thomas, author of Bridge, winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Fiction 2015
Peg Alford Pursell is one of the best editors, or manuscript consultants, I have yet encountered. She sees straight into a story's heart; she sees deeply into its intention—but she also discerns a story's components, and everything that makes it tick (or falter): its bones, organs, skin. With a steady and meticulous eye on language, she also brings to bear an almost shockingly accurate instinct for what material or elements of a story may be missing or still necessary, as well as for what material may not quite fit, or be serving the organic whole.
Peg's methods and manner are so thoughtful, kind, and respectful that a writer feels understood, supported, and directly helped—I mean crucial levels of help—all at the same time. Her suggested edits and adjustments have proved, to me, no less than brilliant. Peg gets it. Working with her has been a rich privilege, and a real boon for my work.
— Joan Frank, author of In Envy Country, Make It Stay and Because You Have To: A Writing Life
Originality and sensitivity are behind the intelligence of Peg Alford Pursell's stories. Her editorial insights are like that, too. Illuminating theme, she sees where in my writing I can dig deeper and encourages me to cultivate my most honest voice. Peg's editorial support shows the best effects of academic rigor, artistic inquiry, and her deep dedication to the craft, all served with compassion and humor. She is everything serious writers could hope for in an editor.
— Nancy Au, author of Spider Love Songs and Other Stories
Peg Alford Pursell is an acutely talented and astute editor. She sees the forest *and* the trees, raising sensitive and probing questions about the work as a whole while providing a master class in line editing. I've seen her do this for writers with a wide range of styles, always respecting voice and vision. Peg is a dream reader. She'll help make your work better, more true, more essential.
— Genanne Walsh, author of Twister, winner of the Big Moose Prize from Black Lawrence Press, 2015.
What is the difference between "ran" and "raced," between "filled" and "caked," between "dirt" and "mud"? These words are synonyms, and in the colloquial speech we're most likely to use the more common choices: ran, filled, dirt. In fiction, however, where each word can alter the connotations of a story, a writer must have imagination and depth of knowledge to be able to choose the most powerful and precise vocabulary. This is also the area where a skillful editor with a keen eye for prose can be very effective and uplift the story from the realm of everyday to literature. Peg Alford Pursell's kind attention to my work helped me to think deeply about the characters and situations I was creating and to deliver them to the page with maximum precision. Ultimately, Peg's guidance allowed my pieces to stand out in the eyes of magazine editors who have accepted my stories for publication. My stories have appeared in Santa Monica Review, Narrative Magazine, Prick of the Spindle, elimae, and other literary journals.
— Olga Zilberbourg, author of two collections of short stories published in Russia, where she was born in 1979. She is an associate editor at Narrative Magazine.
That's the best editing job I've ever seen. You are excellent at that, and I'm going to study what you did. Thank you.
— Ilana Simons, author of A Life of One's Own: A Guide to Better Living through the Work and Wisdom of Virginia Woolf (Penguin 2007). She is a clinical psychologist, a painter, and a literature professor at The New School in NYC.
Peg put a great deal of work into my manuscript and was extremely thorough. As important was feeling that I had a sympathetic reader in Peg. Her ideas were immensely helpful, and even though I had combed the manuscript several times, she pointed out details and timing issues I had missed and helped me clarify problems concerning theme and meaning. Because it’s easy to become overwhelmed when receiving feedback, it was an unexpected bonus to receive her suggestions as to how to proceed regarding next steps.
I want to mention her clarity as to the process. I knew exactly when she would begin and when she would finish. That meant I didn’t have to wonder if she received the manuscript, where she was in the process or when I would get her feedback. Her feedback itself was equally clear. She assured me she was open to questions but because the feedback was so clear I had only one small question.
— Mardith Louisell, short story and essay writer, author of BESIDE MYSELF, a manuscript of connected flash fiction stories.