2025: The Year of Your Passion Project

And How I Can Help

Writing has been the ultimate cure for my perfectionism.

As a child, I quit multiple hobbies—ballet, piano, horseback riding, etc.—because I quickly realized I wasn’t “good” at them, and I didn’t want to do anything unless I could be flawless at it.

Even in school, I was dissatisfied with anything less than perfection. It wasn’t enough for me to make straight A’s. I wanted to be top of the class, highest GPA in the school, scoring 99—100% across the board. (97% or 98% was *fine* for some subjects, like math, but anything less than 95% was an obvious sign of failure.)

Consequently, it has been shockingly liberating to look back on my writing career and realize how imperfectly I have pursued my greatest passion.

When I drafted the opening chapter of my first (yet-to-be-published) novel, a writing career was the furthest thing from my mind. I was a twenty-two-year-old grad student working to become a licensed clinical counselor, up to my neck in psychopathology papers and group counseling assignments.

It was a Tuesday afternoon in February 2020, and I was sick of the DSM-V and APA formatting, so I opened a blank Word Document and typed the following line:

“This is what happened when I was nineteen years old, studying English Literature and Creative Writing at Unity University in Lancaster, British Columbia.”

And you know what that opening line led to?

Nothing, at first.

Despite my burning desire to write a novel, it would take a year of lockdowns, two grueling semesters of seminary, and a complete emotional breakdown (breakthrough) before I finally put my academic career in reverse, turned the wheel on two years’ worth of graduate school, and hit the accelerator towards a Master of Fine Arts program.

And guess what?

When I started my MFA, I didn’t know the first thing about plot development, character arcs, or three-act structure. The first time I workshopped my novel, I immediately noticed a discrepancy between my story and my peers’.

Their characters intrigued me. Their stories hooked me from the opening line. To this day, I’m still wondering what happened to their protagonists.

(Holli Nelson, if you’re reading this, please send me your finished manuscript. I’m dying to know how it ends!)

My story, on the other hand, consistently received the same feedback:

• “Your grammar is flawless, but I'm not really sure where this is going.”

• “You’re a beautiful writer, but I’m having a hard time identifying what the protagonist wants.”

• “These chapter lacks tension and suspense.”

• “The character’s voice feels rather juvenile.”

Oof.

At this point, my eight-year-old self would have dissolved into tears and sobbed, “I can’t do this!”

But I was not eight years old anymore. I was twenty-five, and I loved writing too much to quit. If I was bad at it, then I would just keep learning until I got good at it. And that’s exactly what I did.¹

Holding my MFA degree from Liberty University (2023)

Anything I Can Do, You Can Do, Too.

Listen, friend.

STOP DOUBTING YOURSELF.

STOP PROCRASTINATING.

STOP LETTING THE FEAR OF FAILURE HOLD YOU BACK.

If I can start my Master’s degree not knowing the difference between an autobiography and a memoir and graduate with high distinction two years later,

You can write that book.

You can launch that blog.

You can (and should!) outline that sci-fi trilogy that’s been living rent-free in your head for the past five years.

Don’t know what you’re doing yet? No problem. Learn as you go. Writing is a sword that sharpens through use.

And if you need someone to coach you as you bring your story to life, I’m here for you!

Photos by Kaylene MacMillan Photography

Looking for a Writing Coach? Give Me a Call!

Credentials

After completing my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 2023, I joined Calla Press Publishing, LLC as an assistant editor. Within six months, I was promoted to the role of Book Editor. In this role, I now oversee select projects from the developmental to the line editing phase of publication, communicating directly with authors throughout the editorial process.

I’ve edited everything from YA fantasy novels to children's books, memoirs to devotionals.

In addition to my work at Calla Press, I’ve also published numerous articles with noteworthy publications such as Core Christianity, Gospel-Centered Discipleship, Anxious Faith, and ONE Magazine.²

Whether you’re looking for someone to review your rough draft or want a thorough line edit, I’m here to help! My goal as an editor is not simply to mark up your manuscript with red pen, but to teach you how to become a stronger writer.

I can’t write your story for you, but I can empower you to polish it.

Services:

Developmental Editing

A thorough analysis of big-picture issues.

For fiction manuscripts, this includes feedback on story structure, plot development, character arcs, and continuity.

For non-fiction manuscripts, this includes feedback on overarching themes, literary structure, organization, and thesis development.

Cost: $0.01 per word.

Line Editing

A detailed look at sentence-level issues.

For both fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, this includes feedback on grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, syntax, and dialogue.

The goal of line editing is to correct technical errors and offer stylistic suggestions that reduce redundancy and increase clarity.

Cost: $0.02 per word.

Want a Free Sample?

I’m not an impulse shopper. I don’t expect you to be either. If you want a taste of my work before you entrust your entire manuscript to me, I will gladly edit the first three pages of your manuscript for FREE.

Have a project you need an editor for? Let’s chat!

Not my bookshelf, though I wish it was

Testimonials

“Allana has a gift that is hard to find in an editor. She is brilliant at making sentences clearer, finding better ways to word things, and identifying all the grammar glitches that are so easy for us to miss. But she's able to do all of this without losing sight of the author's voice and original vision. She truly cares not just about producing excellent work on the line level, but helping authors achieve their visions.”

~ Kori Morgan Frazier, Writer & Literary Strategist

“Allana edited my first published novel The Painted Fairytale, and she made every line in that manuscript shine. . . . She made my dialogue alive with the realness of a teenage voice. . . . If you need an editor, I highly recommend her.”

~ Lara D’Entremont, author of The Painted Fairytale and A Mother Held

“Allana's approach to editing is thoughtful and thorough. The editing process can feel overwhelming to any writer, but Allana has a knack for approaching corrections and suggestions with kindness and gentleness. She's always quick to explain the rules and thought processes behind her edits, which empowers writers to present their most polished pieces and apply their new knowledge to future writing. I've worked with her enough to know any writer would be lucky to have her working on their projects, whether a book or something smaller.

Allana will bring skill and heart to the table every single time. If you work with her, you'll walk away knowing you've partnered with an editor who cares about the writing AND the writer, which is an extraordinary gift. I can't sing her praises enough!”

~ Madison Aichele, Executive Directer & Publisher | Calla Press Publishing, LLC

---

1. On the off-chance you’re nerdy enough to care about the secularization of young adult literature and the growing need for Christocentric fantasy, you can read my super cool thesis project here.

2. Here’s a complete index of my 2024 articles:

· “The Highest Calling,” ONE Magazine (Dec. 2024 – Jan. 2025)

· Why You Should Know The Women in Jesus' Family Tree, Core Christianity (December 2024)

· Finding Jesus in Aisle 3, Gospel-Centered Discipleship (September 2024)

· Don't Neglect Your Faith in College, Core Christianity (September 2024)

· Hungry Heart, Starving Body, Anxious Faith (May 2024)

· Should I Eat That? On Fasting & Eating Disorders, Core Christianity (May 2024)

· When Healing Resembles the Slow Unfolding of a Rose, Gospel-Centered Discipleship (April 2024)

· Misery Needs Company, Anxious Faith (March 2024)

· For Better or Worse: Broken Vows & Faithful Promises, Core Christianity (February 2024)