I’m a science fiction and fantasy editor as well as an author. I’m fluent in French & English and work in both languages.
🎩 Editor
I’ve been editing science fiction and fantasy from all over the world for the past 10 years.
👒 Author
I write science fiction and fantasy, imagining other worlds and other lives.
🎩 Editor
How I work
Reading a manuscript is diving into a writer's unique world, crafted over thousands of hours. As an editor, I immerse myself in your world while maintaining the objectivity needed to provide you with insightful notes and suggestions.
Some things I'll analyze and advise you on: infodumping & incluing (a term coined by the amazing Jo Walton); choice of narrator - limitations, pros and cons, how it serves the story and your voice; character development, to paint your characters in all their complexity; World building, to ensure your world makes sense and does wonders.
And much, much more...
My experience
⏳ 14+ years as science fiction and fantasy editor as well as in writing, publishing, and content development
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five stars on Reedsy (20 reviews)
🌻 Background in anthropology, biology, and languages (Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish)
🏳️🌈 I’m a queer person who’s deeply committed to lifting voices from within the community
🖋️ A writer myself, I understand the work that comes with the craft. I work with two perspectives — the writer’s and the editor’s
Let’s work together!
Editorial Assessment
An overview of your story. If your manuscript has never been seen by a professional before, this is the best option forward!
❓See FAQ below - “Why not go directly for a Developmental Edit?” below.
Learn more
The goal
- Analyze the fundamentals of your manuscript and uncover the main issues it faces.
- Offer insightful, in-depth solutions to each of them. Each manuscript has its own set of challenges: structure, plot, character development, narrator, language, etc. And let’s not forget world building, a crucial aspect in science fiction and fantasy!
- Give you an opportunity to take a step back from the story, and see how it is received by readers. It will answer questions you’re probably thinking about over and over: is it ready? Does my plot make sense? Are my characters relatable?
- And of course, we’ll also talk about the book’s strengths!
What you get
⭐ You receive a 10 to 15-page document that analyzes all the elements mentioned above (no notes are made in the manuscript).
⭐ Detailed feedback on each element, with options/solutions, examples of rewrite, and resources adapted to your needs/story.
⭐ Weekly updates: I get it, it’s excruciating to wait! I’ll write every week to let you know what I’m up to, what stage I’m at, and what I’m thinking.
The cost
Easy! $0,02 per word.
👀 Sample
Developmental Edit
An in-depth edit of your story. Best option if you’ve been through several drafts, received a professional editorial assessment, and have worked on one (or a gazillion) more drafts.
Learn more
The goal
- Analyze story elements line-by-line: we want to refine the plot, the pace, the characters’ voices, the dialogues… with the goal of elevating both your story and your writing.
- Question everything — sometimes, things do work… but they can still be improved upon. I’m here to nitpick: are you sure this description should come here? It might fit better over there. The more I think about it, the more I think Character Z is redundant. How about we merge him with Character Y, see how it flows better?
- Equip you with information, tips & tricks, and tools that you can apply to future stories. I will make direct changes in the manuscript, but I will mostly write tons of comments (tons) in the margin to pinpoint issues, provide food for thought, suggest options… I want you to think deeply about all these notes and make informed decisions.
What you get
⭐ Line-by-line comments/changes in your manuscript in suggestion mode.
⭐ A 4 to 5-page document to analyze specific story elements in more depth.
⭐ Weekly updates: I’m very familiar with the anxiety-inducing wait for feedback when you know your editor is busy tearing your sentences apart. I’ll write every week — we can talk about what I’m doing, and I’ll give you some questions/ideas to ponder.
Cost
Simple! $0,03 per word.
👀 Sample
FAQ
How long does it take?
It really depends. I’ll be able to give you a proper estimate once I see a sample, but on average, for a story up to 100,000 words I require 3 weeks for an Editorial Assessment and 5 weeks for a Developmental Edit. I like to work at a balanced pace: I limit the number of hours I spend on a story every day to be at the best of my focus. Taking my time also gives me the opportunity to ponder some elements and come back to them later.
Do you read the entire manuscript?
Oh yes! In fact, I’ll read it twice.
Can I make changes to the story while you are working and send them to you?
Unfortunately, no. I must be working with the most up-to-date version of the manuscript.
Why not go directly for a Developmental Edit?
The goal of the Editorial Assessment is to find anything that might have consequential ramifications on the whole story and that should be fixed or improved before going into more details.
By rushing too quickly to a Developmental Edit, you risk working with a manuscript that doesn’t have strong foundations yet. If we skip the Editorial Assessment, I will be spending a lot of time at the Developmental Edit stage trying to fix issues that haven’t yet been addressed — that’s a lot of time focused on trying to fix big picture issues line-by-line. Plus, if on my recommendation you end up removing a character, or a few scenes, whole pages that I have annotated will disappear — going to waste.
⬇️ Or hire me directly on Reedsy ⬇️
(list of titles I’ve worked on available)
🔥 5 reasons we should work together 🔥
We stay connected throughout the project! I’ll send you reading suggestions and/or writing exercises, so you can start thinking about/working on the next steps!
My job: story shiner! I’ll read your manuscript twice to understand your story in-depth and suggest improvements that keep the spirit of the story intact.
I’ll help you find and refine your voice. My notes are full of suggestions and examples to arm you for any roadblock, now and in the future.
I’ll challenge you: I’ll ask you to go deeper and question things you didn’t think about, and I’ll tell you why and how.
I live and breathe science fiction/fantasy. The genre is my first love and this is why I choose to focus on it as an editor. I know it like the back of my hand.
👒 Author
Want to get in touch? Write to chalfouncelia[at]gmail[dot]com
What I write
Mostly science fiction and fantasy and everything in between! I love writing stories about people trying to understand who and where they are in the world. Add a keen interest for anthropology & biology, a bit
of space opera fervour and a growing reflection on the ways language may
limit the way we think about ourselves and others, and you’ve got me.
A few random facts about me
🧳 I was born in France, and life has led me to Canada, to India, to the U.S., and back to Canada
🐈⬛ I have a lovely cat, Korben, who never stops meowing and brings me once in a while a cooked potato from a place I’m yet to locate.
🍄 Favourite kingdom: fungi!
🏆 My story La Route des orsadoles was nominated for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2018
💬 Toggle to read some reviews!
Sur Singh, il n'y a pas d'oiseaux, et Zain ne peut y emmener les étourneaux qui lui sont chers, mais ce sacrifice ne lui pèse presque pas face au plaisir de revoir Jhansi. La découverte du mumura, aussi, est fascinante. Une nouvelle imaginative de mondes où tout peut communiquer. — Les Chroniques de l’imaginaire
À nouveau, Célia Chalfoun séduit par la fausse simplicité de son texte. Avec son orsadole Dédalie, Maolin est un musicien accompli. Il emmène Nasha, seulement 14 ans, trouver sa propre orsadole. Il l’estime assez mûre pour cela. Quête initiatique pour la jeune Nasha, instruments de musique vivants entrant en symbiose avec leur musicien… La Route des orsadoles possède un côté intimiste prenant, de nombreuses questions se posent à l’encontre des orsadoles. Il est juste dommage que la fin soit aussi abrupte, mais l’ensemble maintient parfaitement l’attention des lecteurs. — Yozone
Célia Chalfoun marche plutôt sur les terres de Theodore Sturgeon (ou de Joëlle Wintrebert), avec au final une très belle nouvelle d’ethno-SF musicale, probablement la meilleure de ce numéro. — Bifrost
L’un de mes textes préférés, avec cette présentation subtile d’un monde à la fois proche et étranger, dont les mystères se dévoilent petit à petit, et des personnages cohérents et crédibles, sur l’ambivalence des réactions face à Cassandre. — Les Chroniques de l’imaginaire
Comme d’habitude, l’imaginaire de Célia Chalfoun emporte le lecteur tout en douceur dans son univers. Sans grands effets, elle réussit toujours à développer des récits prenants et intrigants. Chaque fois que je vois son nom à un sommaire, j’attends avec impatience de lire sa nouvelle réalisation. — Yozone
Publications
Aspiration
Nov 11, 2022
Les Écrits no 166, Québec
Souvenirs de Luminescence
Oct 14, 2022
Solaris no 224, Québec
Jul 22, 2022
La République du Centaure, Québec
Arçi dans la brise
Sep 1, 2022
Brins d’Éternité, no 59, Québec
La relève, la relève!
Mar 12, 2022
Présences d’Esprits
La Route des orsadoles (reprint)
Nov 1, 2019
La République du Centaure, Québec
Jul 1, 2019
Galaxies, no 60
Oct 1, 2018
Solaris no 208, Québec
Jan 1, 2017
Galaxies no 45, France
Nominated for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2018.
Read it for free on
Les Raisins de Gournah
Apr 1, 2015
Solaris, no 194, Québec
Le Poisson d’Ir
Oct 1, 2014
Brins d'Éternité no 39, Québec