““Mary has helped me with a variety of family history writing projects. After my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she recorded conversations with him and wrote his memoir based on these interviews. Later she organized and edited his letters and talks. Mary works well from transcription to finished text, keeping the authenticity of the speaker's voice and organizing material in a cohesive fashion.
Mary also organized and edited two volumes of family letters, bringing order to material that family members valued but did not have the time and/or skills to complete. She is helping me preserve voices from my family’s past.””
Charlotte Cannon
Retired Reading Teacher in Chicago, Ill.
”Without the expertise and guidance of Mary, my memoir, Hush Now, Baby, would still be a rough draft. She is the consummate editor and writing coach. Struggling to shape my book, which is now in the publishing stage, I called on Mary to do three things.
First, to examine my manuscript with a fresh eye for detailed editing. In the process, she hammered my ubiquitous clichés and dashes, and polished both punctuation and language usage—all things difficult to spot in your own writing, even if you’ve taught English for over thirty years as I have!
Second, to help with clarity of purpose and continuity throughout my fifteen chapters. Peppering me with pertinent questions, she forced me to rethink specific passages as well as the overall message I wanted to convey. Together we reorganized chapters, decided where to put scenes, and what to delete. (She’s ruthless on the latter!)
Third, to hold my feet to the fire. I’m a procrastinator. In addition, I have trouble with closure, so I’d still be tweaking the text on my deathbed were it not for Mary’s insistence that we keep to a writing schedule.
No athlete has enjoyed a more rigorous coach or one with more encouraging words. She believed in my story, and it showed in all of the energy she put into our sessions. Mary met all of my expectations of a writing coach with candor, caring, and supreme professionalism.”
Angela Williams
Life coach, writing teacher and author in Charleston, S.C.
“I'm writing my autobiography. When Mary received my book, the story was disjointed and unorganized. I am grateful that she took on the project because her guidance has helped me focus on the direction my book should take. After talking to me for more than three hours, she helped me fill in gaps in my timeline and expound on parts that were not fully explained. Thanks to Mary’s knowledge of the power of the written word, my book is now close to being completed. If I had found her earlier, perhaps it would not have taken me five years to write my story. I have recommended Mary to my son, who is writing a book of short stories and poetry.”
Val Johnson, Charleston, S.C.
“For many years I have been working on a book about my clinical method for children with autism. At every step Mary was there to help—with outlines, punctuation, sentence structure, tone, and style. I'm very grateful for Mary's work and for her dedicated efforts to keep me writing. Without her, I would have dumped my drafts into the trash long ago. Thanks to Mary, Greenwood Publishing Group has published Helping Children with Autism Become More Social 76 Ways to Use Narrative Play!”
www.greenwood.com/catalog/C9702.aspx
Ann Densmore, Ed.D., CCC-SLP/A
Boston, Ma (http://child-talk.com)
"Mary Johnston helped me turn a rambling collection
of notes, ideas and survival stories about my life as a global business
manager into a series of how-to e-books. Today's fast-paced business
jargon does not always translate well into everyday prose. Mary's
editorial talents brought those comprehension gaps to light while
simultaneously showing me how to create a cohesive flow that was
both informative and grammatically correct. She helped me find my
style and my voice and kept the project on track. As a result, The
Global English Handbook and Travel Smart: Pack and Go Like a Global
Pro will soon be published. Without Mary's expertise I am sure I
would be another year away from completion and still feeling uncertain
about the written quality of my work."
Patricia Warner, MBA
President, Global-eze Inc., Charleston, S.C.
(http://www.global-eze.com)
“We hired Mary to edit Head Start curriculum as well as brochures, essays, and newspapers articles about child development and parenting. She ensured that we had 1) consistent formatting; 2) correct grammar, punctuation and spelling; and 3) clear content. Because she is a thorough editor who writes well, we know that whatever she edits is ready for publication. In addition, she is easy to work with and returns manuscripts in a timely matter. Without any doubt, my colleagues and I highly recommend her as an editor.”
Mary Ann Nemoto
Program Director of the Center on the Family at University of Hawaii
"Mary is an exceptionally talented editor who is passionate about helping others express themselves concisely and beautifully. Mary's professional editorial guidance empowered and inspired me to write my best work. A seasoned professor's response to my application essays for a top ten graduate school program was that they were 'eloquent and concise--exceptional in every way.' I feel so wonderfully (and unexpectedly) calm after sending my applications in and I know it is because of the work she and I did together. Had I forged ahead alone, I would not have felt such confidence in the strength of my application; the essays communicate everything I needed and wanted them to communicate."
Amy Rossiter
Student in the Physician Assistant Program at Baylor School of Medicine
"Mary Johnston is an extraordinary editor; her insights and careful attention to detail will show in the final pages of your work. Recently I had the pleasure of working with her on my book about urban forestry. Her enthusiasm and knowledge of her craft strengthened the message word by word. I can’t imagine working on any writing project without the assistance of Mary as my editor. She’ll take the time to understand the message you are working to convey. Then, she’ll help you work the text into something masterful. Mary has a gentle way of helping improve your writing skills, while at the same time helping you to meet your goals. I recommend her highly."
Colleen Carroll, Ed.D.
Director of NatureTalks in Kapaa, Hawaii (www.naturetalks.net/about.html)
Testimonials
