Charlene Smith 

Umakhulu: Allotment Tales is my Substack about gardening - mostly. It also includes musings on books, literature, the art of writing, photography, politics, and life in general. Posts about writing often include recipes or remedies.  Have a look and if it interests you, then please do subscribe - it is free - unless you want a paid subscription that unlocks past posts and additional special content.

Summer was productive with clients completing books ahead of deadlines for the Frankfurt Book Fair and Christmas publication lists. Those completed include an inspiring book from a Fortune Top 50 CEO about his life, work, and how to get it right (and when you don't, how to remedy); a four-year hike through a wilderness area; a how-to guide for homeopathic pet care, and a novel approach to balancing mind and body challenges from a mental health professional.

Books in the mix for the months ahead include a beautiful love letter about a marriage in book form; a memoir about a transformative time in an individual's life, and an analysis of the economic impact of fashion.

Summer classes are divided into those that are fun, most often for younger students, and those that are preparing for SAT, AP or ACT exams, private school or college admission essays. The other criteria is those students who want to enter a higher grade better prepared than their peers. Early registration is advised because I have clients who registered in January for private summer classes. I keep classes small. I do have slots for private in-person classes, please enquire direct and give me two options of potential dates and times, and hopefully one will be ideal. Please send an email - contact form on site - for pricing and further details. All classes are on Zoom.
 
Fantasy and humor: suitable for Grades 4 – 6 {Dates: Mondays 6pm – 7pm, June 22–July 13 & again from July 20–August 10 $385} – this class allows for silliness and wonder. We learn from some of the great fantasy classics, many of which are funny too. We learn about, and then create, tongue twisters, puns, riddles, jokes, limericks, nonsense poems, and devise our own fantasy stories and comic tales. Five classes. 
 
SAT preparation: Higher Grade students {Dates: Tuesdays 6pm-7pm June 30-July 28} --   SATs can be stressful but with good preparation a student enters the exam room with confidence and gets optimal marks. We pay attention to synonyms, antonyms, multiple choice questions, decoding literature and poetry, common errors in English language usage, learn how to analyze graphs, write sample essays, and do general SAT prep. This will be of particular help to those writing SATS in August. Five classes.
 
AP preparation: AP exams are feared but should not be daunting for those students who prep well. I take you through mock exams, give tips to optimize your writing and preparation ability. I am confident that after this class, if you pay attention, you will do well. Five classes {Wednesdays July 1-July 29}
 
College Essays: No matter how good your grades in every other subject it is going to be your college essay that will get you into your preferred school. Every year from about October to December I get panicked students and parents asking for help with essays. Remove unnecessary stress – and costs – by prepping now. A good essay is not quick and easy to write, the best can take months of honing and tweaking. And once you have done your Common App essay every school will ask you for additional essays. Students can write as many as 40 essays if they are apply to 10 – 12 colleges. It is a serious error to believe you can cut and paste, although some questions are similar, colleges have designed subtle tweaks and they will know if you have cut and pasted and will discard your application. Do not risk that.  Six classes {Thursdays July 2-August 6, 6pm}
 
Argue Better (Middle to Higher grades): In lower grades it is fine to essentially copy information from sources and present it in essays. This is not what is wanted in higher grades. Argumentative and persuasive essays are the expectation for high school and college. We look at ways to improve research, gain confidence in your opinions, the art of presenting a balanced essay, how to be confident and not arrogant, avoiding cliched conclusions for thoughtful, strong introductions, arguments, and conclusions that carry weight.  Four classes {Fridays July 3-July 23, 5pm}
 
Writing Better Essays- Elementary to Middle School: A common challenge in elementary and middle school is that students believe/hope they can get away with a 100-word essay – little more than a long paragraph, when what is needed is a 5-paragraph essay of at least one page or around 350-500 words long. This often makes young students anxious and confused: how can they fill a whole page with words? What can they say? There are simple techniques to get your young person writing essays they will be proud of and that will get higher grades.  {5pm-6pm: Tuesdays  June 30-July 28 and Wednesdays July 1-July 29 – 5 classes}
 
Exploring fiction: This class helps encourage and direct those young writers who love writing fiction and hope to enter competitions or even write a book.  We will examine great works of fiction whether mystery, plays, or prose. We will see how poetry has a significant influence on fiction writers, who often write poetry too. Our journey will also examine some of the greatest influences on writing technique and we will learn how to create believable characters the reader empathizes with, dastardly villains or  perhaps complex antagonists. You can choose to write in any genre, when applying for this class please note your three favorite authors and the books by them that you love best. Competition ideas will be provided. Saturdays 9.30am-10.30am,  27 June to 18 July.

 I help authors navigate the writing and publication process. Behind the books you read are editors and coaches like me who gently aid writers. Often, I am approached by authors in the early stages of writing; they have written 20,000 to 30,000 words and are now stuck. They are unsure how to complete the book. On occasion, the author is not certain how to begin; he or she may have done some research, but the opening lines or structure of the book evades them.

First steps
We discuss the project so that I get a sense of your vision. We discuss options for progress. I edit any existing copy, which gives a sense of gaps and opportunities in the work.
As a developmental editor, my role is not just to check and correct grammar and punctuation, that is simple copy editing. My process is intensive. I guide you to areas where you may need to clarify, add context, or restructure. Developmental editing is collaborative; I provide guidance and feedback, and you make the necessary changes as you hone your message. Writing becomes crisper with vivid detail and description. Words dance on the page.  The rate of progress depends on how much time you can devote to the project.  I tend to be fast and attentive.

Getting published
Once you have completed the manuscript or are in the final throes, I give advice - if needed - on the book proposal (if this is a work of non-fiction), query letters to agents or publishers, or aid you through the self-publishing process. We discuss ideas about marketing and distribution; this influences how many copies of the book you sell. When I first started writing books, authors were feted by publishers who took care of the marketing and distribution. Today, with fewer independent publishers and big publishers with fewer staff, it is imperative for a writer to think of the marketing and sale of their book from the time they first put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Who is your target market? What message or lessons do you want them to take away from it? Is this a work that brings a smile to the reader or provokes introspection?

 Contracting Me

There is a fee for the brief initial meeting. Once there is essential agreement and the initial fee is paid, we get down to coaching and/or developmental editing. Please use the contact form on this site. Give your name, brief details of the project, how far you have progressed, and what you need help with.

Pastor Liz Magill took an online course with me to turn her thesis into a book. This is not easy because a thesis is written in academic jargon. A book for the commercial market needs to be written as an enjoyable narrative.

Liz Magill's book is about food kitchens and feeding programs run by churches.
By the end of the course, we had three chapters ready for submission to a publisher or agent.
I helped Liz with a query letter and book proposal to take to a publishing conference to help her pitch to agents and publishers. I came up with a working title: Five Loaves, Two Fishes, Twelve Volunteers, which was accepted by the publishers.
This is her signing a book contact with Upper Room Books.

Liz will soon complete her second book!

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http://www.amazon.com/Mandela-In-Celebration-Great-Life/dp/1928213138/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Don't Feed the Bears (see link below), The Boston Globe Magazine. 

"We underestimate the ability of wild animals and humans to get along,' says New Hampshire environmentalist David L. Eastman. 'But getting along also requires humans to behave.'"

On November 26, Charlene Smith was invited to speak on the Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Some 350 guests arrived, and a book-signing took place afterward.

A referee wrote, “Charlene Smith is a powerful, highly skilled and experienced journalist, author and communications professional. She is adept at finding the right channels for messages. She has immense patience and love for people – no-one is unimportant or undeserving of her time or mentoring.”
As a journalist, author, authorized biographer of Nelson Mandela, and ghostwriter, I have been privileged to witness the best in the great and had the time to ponder their flaws. I am struck by the fact that humility and a true love of people is the mark of greatness.
Journalists are the first writers of history and so our responsibility to truth-telling and fairness is eternal.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, I reported on anti-apartheid resistance and economics in South Africa. In Japan and Argentina, I reported on politics and economics. Publications I have worked for include the Los Angeles Times, Independent, Guardian, Washington Post, Le Monde, and others. As a television documentary maker I worked with Tony Burman at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Ted Koppel at ABC Nightline, and Ed Bradley and Anderson Cooper at CBS 60 Minutes, and others.