Here's what a few have had to say about my assistance.
I’m awed by your amazing editing. I have given serious consideration to each and every editing suggestion, big and small and particle-level. When I have before me editing as brilliant as yours, I do not wish to offer some defensive comment on any suggestion. You have made One Kind Favor a far, far better book, Peg. I'm forever in your debt.
—Kevin McIlvoy
Peg Alford Pursell is my dream editor: intuitive, witty, tirelessly dedicated, full of unexpected insights and solutions. She inhabited the characters and world of my book so deeply, and with such respect, that the process of working with her has been a complete joy.
—Sarah Stone
In my very many years as a writer (thirteen books; fiction, essays, book reviews) working with many levels of editors, I have never encountered anyone as skilled and insightful, as sensitive or brilliantly project-focused, as Peg Alford Pursell. The scope of her vision (nourished by years of experience working with authors of myriad backgrounds and styles) powers her grasp of the heart, soul, and spirit of any piece of written work, line for line. The results—for myself, for countless others—consistently astonish me. Peg is able to see straight into a work’s intent—often when the author can’t yet discern it—and to locate and suggest, with surgical precision, multiple ways to enhance, polish, distill, and fortify the material. Structure, movement, style, tone, diction: she takes it all in and works with a writer to clarify and deepen the whole so that ultimately the work emerges as its best, jewel-self, in its own purest light. Peg has revealed things to me about my own intent (and by consequence, ways to elicit and manifest it more clearly and gracefully) of which, until then, I’d been blissfully unaware. Yet she never intrudes on, or eclipses, a writer’s voice or vision. What she performs and delivers is truly the rarest of arts: one I cannot praise passionately enough. Anyone lucky enough to engage her expertise will treasure it.
--Joan Frank, author of Juniper Street: A Novel and Late Work: a Literary Autobiography of Love, Loss, and What I Was Reading
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
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
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.
--Olga Zilberbourg, author of two collections of short stories published in Russia, and 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).
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.
I’m awed by your amazing editing. I have given serious consideration to each and every editing suggestion, big and small and particle-level. When I have before me editing as brilliant as yours, I do not wish to offer some defensive comment on any suggestion. You have made One Kind Favor a far, far better book, Peg. I'm forever in your debt.
—Kevin McIlvoy
Peg Alford Pursell is my dream editor: intuitive, witty, tirelessly dedicated, full of unexpected insights and solutions. She inhabited the characters and world of my book so deeply, and with such respect, that the process of working with her has been a complete joy.
—Sarah Stone
In my very many years as a writer (thirteen books; fiction, essays, book reviews) working with many levels of editors, I have never encountered anyone as skilled and insightful, as sensitive or brilliantly project-focused, as Peg Alford Pursell. The scope of her vision (nourished by years of experience working with authors of myriad backgrounds and styles) powers her grasp of the heart, soul, and spirit of any piece of written work, line for line. The results—for myself, for countless others—consistently astonish me. Peg is able to see straight into a work’s intent—often when the author can’t yet discern it—and to locate and suggest, with surgical precision, multiple ways to enhance, polish, distill, and fortify the material. Structure, movement, style, tone, diction: she takes it all in and works with a writer to clarify and deepen the whole so that ultimately the work emerges as its best, jewel-self, in its own purest light. Peg has revealed things to me about my own intent (and by consequence, ways to elicit and manifest it more clearly and gracefully) of which, until then, I’d been blissfully unaware. Yet she never intrudes on, or eclipses, a writer’s voice or vision. What she performs and delivers is truly the rarest of arts: one I cannot praise passionately enough. Anyone lucky enough to engage her expertise will treasure it.
--Joan Frank, author of Juniper Street: A Novel and Late Work: a Literary Autobiography of Love, Loss, and What I Was Reading
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
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
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.
--Olga Zilberbourg, author of two collections of short stories published in Russia, and 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).
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.