The books I remember most aren't always the cleanest. They're the ones that took risks. The ones that showed me something true. The ones that let things get weird. As both a writer and an editor, I think a little strangeness is healthy. Perfectly polished stories fade. Stories with teeth leave marks

A lie writers tell themselves is that every first draft should look professional. Drafting is exploration. Sometimes you write the wrong scene before finding the right one. You spend three chapters discovering what a character actually wants. Sometimes you write garbage. And that's okay.

I've been editing long enough to know that writers and objective reality occasionally have a complicated relationship. "Minor revisions" can become a complete structural overhaul. "One quick fix" can create three entirely new subplots. And somehow, despite the chaos, books get written.

One of my favorite things about horror and dark fantasy readers is that they genuinely WANT emotional intensity. They want stories that: ✦ unsettle them ✦ consume them ✦ haunt them ✦ emotionally ruin them a little

A lot of writers already know something in the manuscript isn’t working. What they usually need isn’t cruelty. It’s clarity. Good editing should help writers understand: ✦ what’s working ✦ what’s missing ✦ what readers are experiencing ✦ how to strengthen the emotional impact

Writing the book is only the beginning. Suddenly, you’re expected to understand: ✦ marketing ✦ branding ✦ social media ✦ cover design ✦ metadata ✦ formatting ✦ advertising ✦ newsletters ✦ SEO Despite all that? Indie authors still keep showing up for their stories anyway. That’s impressive.

Readers remember emotion more than perfection. They remember: ✦ atmosphere ✦ tension ✦ character chemistry ✦ grief ✦ longing ✦ fear ✦ obsession That emotional honesty is what makes stories stay with people. #writercommunity #indieauthor

Editing is a deeply mysterious process where you slowly transform from: “this manuscript has potential” to “I am being psychologically hunted by chapter eight.” But honestly? That hyper-awareness eventually becomes useful. Sometimes distance is necessary. Sometimes you need another set of eyes.

Writers assume developmental editing only exists for “bad” manuscripts. That’s not true at all. Most manuscripts simply need outside perspective. Sometimes the issue isn’t the quality. Sometimes it’s: ✦ pacing ✦ structure ✦ emotional flow ✦ clarity ✦ tension ✦ scene purpose And those are fixable.

For $10, AKA the price of a venti coffee, I will give you in-line developmental edits on a short story. Up to 8000 words.... This is only available to the first 20 people. #Writerscommunity

I never want clients to feel like their writing stopped sounding like THEM after edits. Editing should strengthen your work. Not sterilize it. Your weirdness? Your style? Your emotional fingerprints? That’s important. Good editing doesn’t erase personality. It helps readers feel it more clearly.

Let's see if this works! 20 people only. My coffee order is approximately $10. Yes, I'm serious. I am that person. For 10 US dollars, I will give you detailed and professional feedback on your query letter. #writercommunity #writersofinstagram #bookeditor

Let's see if this works! 20 people only. My coffee order is approximately $10. Yes, I'm serious. I am that person. For 10 US dollars, I will give you detailed and professional feedback on your query letter. #writingcommunity

Every writer has that moment where they reopen a document and understand why Victorian authors fainted dramatically. You remember writing it differently. You SWEAR the scene made sense yesterday. It's part of the process. Writing is weird. But we crawl back to it like haunted little creatures

Update! I've raised my editorial rates, as well as changed some of the services that I offer! I am still offering 15% off on developmental edits that are over 50,000 words. This offer only lasts until August! #writingcommunity

kalathewordwitch.substack.com/p/may New substack post

#writingcommunity #authors

I am offering 3 developmental edits for a flat rate of $250 USD, on any project up to 80,000 words. (New clients only) #indieauthors

Writing update: I wrote quite a bit at the beginning of the month here. But I forgot to update you! So here I am, collecting all the words that I wrote from May 3rd to May 5th. This was across two different projects. My newsletter and one of my more recent short stories. #writing #author #horror

I actually have editing availability right away if you have a project with an upcoming deadline! #writingcommunity

This is still available until the end of May! #writers #authors #indieauthors

It's been a busy month. I wrote as much as I could, 2460 words is not bad. The secret project is definitely coming along nicely! This is definitely not a project I thought I was going to be working on this year. But I'm glad that I am. It gives me a fun little break from the novel. #writerscomminity

I have editing availability in the middle of May, and I am currently running a 15% off discount for projects over 40k words. #writerscommunity

338 words written while watching Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. #bookish #author #writerscommunity #horror #writerofinsta

Yesterday evening, I wrote 376 words about cannibals while I watched a documentary about cults. #horrorauthor #horrorwriter #disabledauthor #author

Today was a good day! I rewrote just about an entire story. And I might have some more time to keep writing today! Hopefully, I'll have some good spooky stuff coming for the beginning of next year! #horror #author #disabledauthor #horrorauthor

This offer only lasts for the next two months! I'm looking to take on anything really! I would be really excited to take on more horror and thrillers. Would love to take on dark romance. #indieauthors #writerscommunity

1527 words is my total word count for March. Which is not a lot, but it is better than zero.

I haven't written a lot this month; sometimes bodies don't cooperate. #writer

Hello, everyone. Unfortunately, due to personal reasons I have had to pull out of participating in #RevPit this year. I apologize to any of the writers who were hoping to sub to me. Good luck everyone! I'll see you next year.

Editor Kala Godin has had to step down from this year's contest due to personal reasons. We hope she'll be back for the next #revpit event. Writers, please check our editors' MSWLs if you need to make a new choice. We ensure we have good coverage across genres so everyone has plenty of choices.

🚨 it's happening! I repeat, it's happening! 🚨 #RevPit opens this week yall 😘

Developmental and Copy/line editing is 50% off right now! That means Developmental edits that are 50k words were $750, but are now $375! Costs are USD. #writerssky

You can't have disabled characters in fantasy, you say? *Points to awesome fantasy characters with disabilities.* www.aealexander.com/blog/do-disa... #Reading #Fantasy #Disability #DisabilityRep

For the next few months, my time is pretty dedicated to #RevPit But I am still hoping to make time for writing. Yesterday, I was working on rewriting a short story. I am not done with it yet, but I have nearly tripled its original word count so far! #horrorauthor #writerscommunity #authorsofinsta

Good morning #RevPit! I’m here for my #MeettheEditor session 💃 About me: I’m a writer, editor, and associate literary agent at Storm Literary Agency. I’m also a cozy gamer, beginner crocheter, and rarely have the same color hair week to week

#RevPit pro tip: If you missed an editor's #MeetTheEditor chat, you can still @ them with questions about their MSWLs, RevPit, or whatever else

Good morning #writingcommunity! (It is still morning, right?) Welcome to my #RevPit #MeettheEditor thread! Please feel free to ask me questions about what I'm reading, how I edit, my #MSWL or any other questions you might have.

Hi, all! My turn for #revpit #MeetTheEditor. :) I am a RevPit Board Member, and I've been involved with RevPit for a while now, whether offering runners-up prizes or being an editor for the Annual Contests. I'll share a bit about myself in the thread below. Feel free to ask questions!

Hey, #RevPit Crew! I'm excited for my Meet the Editor session tomorrow—I'm aiming to get started at 4pm ET (1pm PT). 😊 For all the upcoming editor events and deadlines, be sure to check the RevPit website: www.reviseresub.com/annual-conte... See you tomorrow! ✨️ #MeetTheEditor #RevPit2026

Hi everyone! I'm Kala—resident iced coffee drinking, probably feral raccoon. I hope you're ready for the annual contest this year! #RevPit Welcome to my #MeetTheEditor post @reviseresub.bsky.social

Hi #RevPit! Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, March 4) I’ll be having my #MeetTheEditor session! Drop in to ask me all of your questions about editing and my #MSWL. You can read more about me here: reviseresub.com/editors/hann...

Hi #WritingCommunity! Welcome to my #RevPit #MeetTheEditor thread. Feel free to ask questions at any time (if I don't get to them today, I will tomorrow). I had a computer incident earlier (OneDrive deleted my Documents & it took my hubby hours to fix), so I lost my prep time & this may be choppy.

Hi everyone! I'm Kala—resident iced coffee drinking, probably feral raccoon. I hope you're ready for the annual contest this year! #RevPit Welcome to my #MeetTheEditor post @reviseresub.bsky.social

Hey #RevPit My #MeetTheEditor session is tomorrow afternoon, March 3, 2026. I'll be answering all your questions about myself and my #MSWL. You can check it out here: www.reviseresub.com/editors/kala...

Total words written in February? 3,569 words. I absolutely loved the class I took. @sagetyrtle.bsky.social is a wonderful instructor! #horrorwriter #authorsofinsta

During my class on February 18th, I wrote 964 words! I wrote about demons, keys that shape shift. And kids who don't react to scary situations.

Yesterday, I managed to summon up 434 words. #horrorauthor #authorsofinstagram

On February 11th, I managed to get 1166 words. This was all due to the class I'm currently taking. The assignments that this class has given me inspire me so much. Excited to see what becomes of it! #author #authorsofinstagram #horrorauthor #horror

Halfway through the month, and I haven't posted a word count. Here's one for February 4th! I've been taking a horror writing class, and I am proud of the pieces that I've written during it. Here's to a year of learning and perseverance! Nobody succeeds by doing nothing. Hard work is key.