Selected Client Testimonials

 

What every writer hopes for when seeking feedback is a reader who can clearly hear the particular voice of the work, recognize its unfulfilled possibilities, pinpoint where it flags or goes awry – and, not least, notice its best moments. It is rare to find someone with this skill and vision. Ericka Lutz has it, but she has more – she has the patience, the thoroughness and the language to turn these insights into something practical you can use. This is the faculty the best book editors I have known bring to their work, and it is our good fortune that Ericka is not locked away in some publishing skyscraper but here, available to us all.
– Marion Winik, First Comes Love

 

We have worked with Ericka for several years on both a dense and intense memoir and a rompy science fantasy trilogy. Whether helping us with plotting, structure, character arcs, or pulling various threads together into a stronger weave, she knows when to nudge us deeper into unknown thickets or step back and revise. Her insightful advice and commentary has made a huge contribution to our work. Thank you, Ericka!
– Elaine and Peter

 

I strongly recommend Ericka: she was always pleasant, professional and timely. She filled the margins of my manuscript with wonderful suggestions, which were key as a point of reference when I began my full rewrite. Shortly after completion, a literary agent offered me representation.
– Lisa Brahin, Tears Over Russia

 

Ericka is a brilliant writing analyst. I have worked with her on two very different projects, a novel manuscript and a novel start, and she was unfailingly incisive in helping me identify theme and refine structure. Her feedback on what worked and what needed work was always spot on. After talking with her I had a deeper focus and clearer sense of what was essential in my work. She also has a kindness and supportiveness that gives me the confidence to continue my writing journey with renewed energy.  She’s terrific!
– Livia L.

 

Ericka is truly a writer’s teacher, insightful, perceptive, and –perhaps most important – deeply caring. She deftly guides writers in unlocking their own creativity.
– Camille J. Cusumano, TANGO: an Argentine Love Story

 

I had been struggling with a particular novel for oh-so-many years. I was knee deep in that writerly self loathing that occurs when you are sure you have failed, sabotaging what could have been an important project.
          Ericka threw me a life preserver. Her deep read and insight helped me locate the thread of a storyline/plot I hadn’t considered before. The sensitive, no-nonsense nuts and bolts critique rekindled my passion in the work and enabled me to write a new draft which generated interest from top agents. 
          I believe what sets Ericka apart is her respect for a writer’s unique voice. She doesn’t bombard you with her own vision in an arrogant way. Rather, she guides you towards understanding her takeaway from the work, while continuing to follow your own instincts.
– Danielle Wolffe, Water Stone Writers

 

Ericka has been of tremendous help to me as I revise my second novel. Her feedback and insights are right on target and inspirational. I also appreciate the supportive way she gives constructive criticism. I have recommended her to other writers without hesitation.
– Wendy Tokunaga, Love in Translation

 

Ericka helped me to become more aware of my personal writing process, and find a path into the novel I have been struggling to develop. She took time to understand my goals, and offered insightful feedback that has helped me discover the story I want to tell, and keep the words flowing. Her vision, pragmatic advice, and support have inspired me to stretch my writing far beyond what I had thought possible.
– Heidi Lyss

 

Ericka is the personification of a great muse. She finds ways to bring out the best in you and your writing, and to stay committed to your vision.
– Davina Kotulski, Behind Barbed Eyes

 

Ericka helped me find inspiration when doubt had paralyzed me and assisted me in creating a path through my writing process, setting goals and clear objectives. She is skilled at honing in on the heart of work with gentle, surgical precision, always with an eye to the heart of the work and an ear to the individual writer’s voice. Most importantly she has been instrumental in helping me identifying and articulate what is unique and particular about my own writing, understanding the slice of life my work explores.
– Teresa Burns Gunther, Author, Teacher, Founder of Lakeshore Writers Workshop

 

Ericka has the rare gift of seeing the tiny missteps as well as the big picture, of recognizing a story’s strengths and its potential. And she knows how to articulate all this, how to tell you exactly where a story could go further, or where it strays off track, while letting you, the author, discover your own solutions under her sensitive guidance. She is intuitive yet practical, forthright yet fun. I always leave our sessions inspired to tackle the next draft, and newly-equipped with the tools to do so.
– Elizabeth Bernstein, Things I Want Back From You

 

Ericka has the ability to ask the right questions – the kind of questions that help a writer think more deeply into the heart of a story. She’s an intuitive and insightful guide – always kind, always supportive. I recommend her to any writer serious about doing their best work.
– Susan Moldaw

 

Ericka’s teaching style is one of the most effective I’ve ever encountered. She doesn’t teach with just a handful of one-liners, only asking writers to ‘show instead of tell.’ Rather, Ericka’s style is much more insightful and adaptive. Ericka critiques with an eye sensitive to all the qualities that most writers are trying to obtain – from simple mechanics, to style of prose, to fleshing out the message that her students are trying to convey. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is trying to become the best writer they can be. She is one of the sharpest teachers out there.
– Max Delgado

 

Unconventional, though versed in all the writing “rules,” Ericka consistently invites me to define my own way of doing things; my writing, my book. Her rich sense of humor and her delight in detail, as well as vision, buoy me at every step.
– Renee Riley-Adams

 

How does one accept criticism, edit writing, and fine tune a story without losing the essence of who you are as a writer? Having a writing mentor who recognizes and respects your voice is key to the process. If you’re looking for a writing guide to help you stay on the trail without taking the reins, I highly recommend Ericka.
– Andrea Jones, The Spitting Twins

 

Thank you, Ericka. You have the sharpest eye for editing and understanding text I’ve ever come across.
– Simone Corday, Alice in Ultraland