TJ Emerson has a PhD in Creative Writing from The University of Edinburgh and has taught on the MSc Creative Writing course there, as well as in various community and educational settings. She also works as a freelance literary consultant and has been a mentor for the Womentoring Project. She loves helping new, emerging and established writers achieve their writing goals.
Manuscript Assessment
Tracey offers honest and considered critiques of complete novels or novels-in-progress. She can also help you with your submission package for literary agents. Whatever stage you’re at, her tailored feedback will help you take your work to the next level. Feedback will be provided in the form of a written report that will include advice on plot and structure, characterisation and point of view, dialogue, and the quality and consistency of your prose. You will also have the opportunity to ask follow-up questions after receiving this report, via a free 30-minute Zoom/Skype/phone call.
As someone who reads across all genres, she is happy to accept submissions from a wide range of genres.
This manuscript assessment does not include an intensive, line by line edit. However, if you would like her to do an in-depth edit of your first 50 pages to highlight issues with your grammar and prose, she can do so for the extra cost quoted below:
Prices
Opening Chapters report: £200 or £275 with 50-page edit.
Complete Draft Report (up to 50,000 words.): £340 or £400 with 50-page edit.
Complete Draft Report (up to 100,000): £500 or £550 with 50-page edit.
Mentoring
Mentoring can be useful for writers at all stages of the game. Whether you are about to embark upon writing a novel or have already begun your project, Tracey will be able to tailor a mentoring package to suit your needs. She also offers mentoring for short story writers as well as novelists. The combination of feedback, deadlines and encouragement a mentoring package offers can give you the motivation and confidence to start a new writing project or to keep going with an existing one. Tracey can also offer advice on developing and maintaining a writing routine that works best for you.
Prices
Mentoring costs are £40 per hour, but prices will vary depending on your needs and the length of the mentoring package required.
Please contact Tracey to discuss your project and find out about prices and availability. Your mentoring sessions can take place on Zoom or Skype or over the phone. If you are based in Scotland, it may be possible for you and Tracey to meet in person.
Teaching
Tracey is an experienced creative writing workshop leader and has worked in a variety of settings, including primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, care homes, hospitals and community centres. She is also a confident performer of her work and enjoys taking part in author events.
To hire Tracey for an event or workshop or to discuss any of her consultancy services please contact her here.
Mark Wightman, author of Waking The Tiger
WRITER / MARK WIGHTMAN
I had the pleasure of working with Tracey during my MSc in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. Often, I would submit pieces that I knew weren’t quite right, but without knowing why they weren’t working. Tracey has a real gift for getting to the heart of a story, and her guidance on structure and pacing in particular was invaluable. She always backed up her advice with targeted exemplars of who and what to read to support my progress. My writing developed significantly under Tracey’s tutelage and I can recommend her as an editor and coach without reservation.
Rebecca Hardy
WRITER / REBECCA HARDY
Working with Tracey was a helpful and inspiring experience. Her advice was always thoughtful and well considered, and she managed to help me see what was working in my novel and what was not. This was always delivered in a gentle and respectful way. Overall, having Tracey as a mentor was an important step on my journey as a writer. She not only managed to encourage me, and keep me writing, but she also gave the insightful criticism I needed to develop and self-evaluate my work.
Caroline Hardaker, author of Composite Creatures
WRITER / CAROLINEHARDEKERWRITES.COM
Tracey’s editing of my short stories was so, so helpful, and extremely supportive. She wrote extensive constructive notes on each piece, and all the while encouraged me based on what she did like. I could tell that she’d taken some time to get into the mental flow of the stories, and hadn’t just read them at arm’s length. Her comments were so insightful, and they’ve taught me so much not only about the stories she looked at, but the rest of my writing as a whole. An excellent mentor.
Gina Maya
WRITER / GINA MAYA
Tracey was a wonderful tutor on my Creative Writing course. She's incredibly approachable and provided honest, constructive feedback on my novel, whether on matters of language or theme or overall impression. I definitely recommend her.
Temi Oh, author of Do You Dream of Terra-Two
WRITER / TEMI OH
I was lucky to be taught by Tracey while I was studying for an MSc in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. She took our class for lectures and workshops. She delivered great lessons, gave us insightful and honest feedback and was really kind about sharing her own experiences with the publishing industry. During her office hours she helped me with the cover letter I had written for my novel, and the support she gave me made me feel a lot braver when it came time to send it off to literary agents. I was lucky to be offered representation and my debut novel, Do You Dream of Terra Two, will be published by Simon and Schuster in March 2019.
Jen Watson
I've used Tracey's services three times now and it's the best investment I've ever made for my literary career. Not only does Tracey provide thorough and honest critiques on the strengths and weakness of a piece, but she also encourages you to reach the next level of writing by pointing you to resources on everything from grammar to story structure. As a result, my writing has improved dramatically and I've finally removed my years-old manuscript from editorial limbo and have refined it into a finished piece I was able to submit to a writing contest. I'm indebted to Tracey's encouragement, advice, and support, and I plan on uses her services for all of my future projects. I can't wait to finish writing my next piece!
Anne Orchardson
I attended Tracey's course on Starting to Write in early 2019. Although I have written at different times in my life, I know I need guidance. I enjoyed the course immensely, leaving each week feeling encouraged and inspired. Each of the six participants had different reasons for attending the course, some wanting publication, others just writing for pleasure. Tracey established a clear structure to each two-hour session, which she followed throughout. Although she had planned the course from the outset, she adapted it to include areas where we had asked for help and highlighted aspects which fitted different individual's aspirations. We all had the opportunity to share our own writing in order to receive comments from our fellow students and from Tracey. Perhaps most useful were the notes Tracey had prepared for us, giving tips for different aspects of writing. Throughout the course Tracey referred us to various books on writing, often quoting from them and bringing copies for us to see. I found this course extremely helpful.
John Law
Tracey’s writing workshops are very relaxed and informative. The progression through each workshop was easy to follow and provided a good mix of freewriting and lesson- based writing. Some of the ideas for freewriting between workshops were particularly good and challenging. The final workshop was a great experience and an extremely positive finish to the course. After attending the workshops, I feel further down the road with learning the craft of writing and definitely more confident in my own approach to writing.
Susan Rodrigues
I decided to take Tracey’s ‘Starting to Write’ course because I wanted to write my Dad's biography. This is the first creative writing course I've done, and I'm really glad I chose it. Tracey is a wonderful teacher. She carefully planned a well-structured course while taking on board the course participants' wishes and requirements. She created an environment that was incredibly supportive, constructive and informal, while the creative exercises and her practical approach to writing kept the classes feeling professional. I would highly recommend Tracey and her courses.
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