Work with me
The Story Temple exists because writers deserve editorial support that understands the full context of what they’re carrying, not just what they’re writing.
Every offer here is built from that belief.
The Arc — Full editorial support for writers who are in it for the long run.
$750/month · 3 spots available
Most editorial relationships are transactions. You submit pages. You get notes back. You revise alone, then start the cycle again with someone who has no memory of where you started.
The Arc means it’s always me reading your pages, month after month, already knowing your work from the inside.
This is a monthly editorial relationship for writers who are building something over time: a fiction series, a Substack practice, a manuscript that keeps growing before it gets finished, a body of work that needs tending over months, not just a one-time read.
Before anything is edited, we have a real conversation about your voice, your project, your audience, and what you’re actually trying to build. I take notes, and I keep them. They become a living voice document: a record of your register, your patterns, your recurring tendencies, what works for you, and what doesn’t. That context doesn’t disappear after the first month. It compounds.
Each month includes:
An editorial letter with developmental and line edits. Honest, narrative feedback on what’s working and what isn’t, written for the writer and the manuscript.
Voice document updates as your work evolves.
Quick support via email or voice note when questions come up between deliveries.
For writers who want it, I also work with what’s moving right now: the current transits, the lunar cycle, and the timing underneath your writing month. You don’t need to know anything about astrology for this to be useful. If a retrograde is why your revision keeps stalling, or a New Moon is the reason this is the right week to start the next chapter instead of the one after, I’ll say so. This part is offered, never assumed. Some writers want it woven in, while others just want the editorial letter. Either way, the work holds.
What The Arc doesn’t cover: agent submissions, publishing logistics, marketing, or social media strategy. This is editorial work, and that’s where it stays.
$750/month · 3-month minimum · Limited to 3 clients at a time
Editorial progress doesn’t happen in a single pass. Three months is enough time to track real patterns, catch drift before it costs a full revision, and build the kind of working relationship where I can hear what your writing is trying to do.
To inquire: email info@thestorytemple.com, subject line: Editorial Inquiry, The Arc
My editorial portfolio has client samples, testimonials, and rate details for every service. View the portfolio → Editorial Practice — Lakeisha Cadogan
Manuscript Assessment
Pricing upon inquiry
You’ve been living inside this manuscript. You know something isn’t working, but you’re too close to it to see what. Or you know it’s strong, but you need an expert eye before you send it anywhere.
A manuscript assessment from The Story Temple is comprehensive editorial feedback that addresses both craft and the deeper intention of your work. We work through why the current draft isn’t yet the truest version of your story, and what it would take to get there.
This is the assessment writers need before they query, before they submit to fellowships and grants, or before they hand their work to a publisher and call it done.
What’s included: A detailed written editorial report covering premise and vision (Air), pacing and momentum (Fire), emotional resonance and connection (Water), and structure and craft (Earth). Specific, practical guidance. A follow-up conversation to walk through the report together.
This assessment is for you if:
You’re preparing to query agents or submit to publishers
You’re applying for a fellowship, grant, or residency and need your pages to be ready (Cave Canem, VONA, PEN America and similar deadlines don’t wait)
You’ve been sitting with the manuscript for so long you can no longer see what isn’t working
You want editorial feedback that honors the cultural specificity of your work
“The manuscript assessment gave me clear guidance as to how to get the story on the right track... After being with the manuscript for so long, it was impossible for me to identify what wasn’t working within my story.” — Sharhonda Exantus, crime/mystery thriller author
“Her keen eye catches stuff I miss all the time and she calls out the good, bad and the ugly! Would highly recommend her, especially if you’re looking to get your fantasy novel published.” — Kanika Bailey, romance author
“I handed her a messy manuscript that had the look of a rambling manifesto, and she gave me back a book.” — Elizabeth Eggleston, fiction author
Opening Chapters Critique
$397
You don’t always need a full manuscript assessment. Sometimes you need to know whether the first few chapters are doing their job before you go any further.
The opening chapters critique is a focused editorial assessment of the first 50 pages of your manuscript. We look at whether the narrative grabs attention, whether the voice is landing, and whether the tone is set correctly for the story you’re trying to tell. You get a written report with actionable guidance and a follow-up conversation to put the guidance in motion.
This is the right starting point if you’re querying and want your pages sharp before they go out, or if you’ve been revising the opening for months and can’t tell anymore whether it’s working.
“Working with Lakeisha was an unexpected gift. She didn’t just skim my pages — she dug deep, page by page, and gave me a review that felt both professional and personal. She gave me practical, specific steps to strengthen the manuscript while also reminding me to trust my instincts as a writer.” — Matthew Watchman, fantasy author
“Just wanted to share this text I got from my mother... ’a young lady asked me if it were any good. She said one of her teachers at Kennedy King College gave them a list of books to read over the summer and suggested your book by title and name... he felt they would benefit from reading it.’” — Jesiah Reeves, urban fantasy author
Jesiah forwarded me his mother’s text. A professor had put his book on a required college reading list.
This is what the right editorial support makes possible.
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