Britta Jensen
Developmental Editor & Coach
For the past sixteen years Britta Jensen has taught creative writing and edited books for both traditional and indie authors. She has received numerous awards, including the General Sharp Award from the US Army, for her innovative teaching of creative writing overseas with the Department of Defense Education Activity. She frequently works with authors in the following genres: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Thrillers, and YA. Britta also enjoys sharing her experiences in the indie author publishing space. Her debut novel Eloia Born was long-listed for the 2016 Exeter Novel Prize and reviewers are calling the book “both a dystopian narrative and a quest story; consider it a spiritual successor to Lois Lowry's The Giver and M. Night Shyamalan's The Village.” The sequel, Hirana’s War releases October 2020. Her stories have been shortlisted for the 2017 Henshaw Press and Fiction Factory prizes and she was published in the following anthologies: Stories for Homes, volume 2 and Sakura Dreams. She has a BA from Fordham University and an MA from Columbia University. Friends often refer to her as a polyglot—which is a product of living twenty-two years overseas in Japan, South Korea, and Germany before settling in Austin, Texas.
AREAS OF SPECIALTY
Fiction: Sci-Fi/fantasy; Coming of age; Literary Fiction (particularly multi-cultural/cross cultural narratives); Mystery/Thriller; Romance; New Adult
Nonfiction: Memoir; University essays/Application essays
YA and Middle Grade (not chapter books)
AVAILABLE FOR
Manuscript critiques and evaluations
Developmental editing
Content editing/Line editing
Copyediting (especially for individuals writing big worlds and needing continuity as I have a great visual memory for where elements of the story world aren’t lining up)
Private writing coaching
Synopsis review/edit
Indie publishing consultation
Traditional publishing consultation
NOT available for academic books, erotica, or nonfiction (other than memoir or university essays/applications)
"Britta has taught me how to look deeper into my characters and make them live and breathe on paper. I had the horrible habit of not finishing my stories and with her writing exercises and compassionate direction, I completed each story. I’ve also learned from our sessions that I have more within me as a writer. She was able to bring the writer-thinker out if me. I became a disciplined writer (with a set schedule with her assistance). Britta's feedback was precise and clear and allowed me to find opportunities with my work that I did not see or feel. She assisted me to develop a structure for my stories, when I was confused on how to proceed next on my writings. The most important skill I learned was how to develop multiple story endings. I felt liberated and not stuck to one ending.”
-Eddie Bujans, short story author
“Britta is fantastic! She listened as I told her about my end goals and edited my manuscript with those in mind. Criticism is never easy, but it's a necessary part if we want to grow. Britta doesn't sugarcoat, as no good editor should. She takes her job seriously and focuses on what her clients want to achieve. Her one-on-one is invaluable! Britta took as much time necessary to answer ALL my questions and clarify any confusion. I left realizing I still had a lot of work to do but also had a game plan that will take me one step closer (if not more) to my goal. Thank you, Britta, for pushing me to be my best!”
-Amelie Corner author of Flower in the Ash
“As an amateur fiction writer, Britta's detailed feedback really helped to guide me and make me aware of my weaknesses and strengths. She also has a warm spirit. I like that she has also taught fiction writing and is a published author so that gave me confidence in her feedback. I realised that while the concept for my novel is a good one, that the work of editing is an entire other level of work. Britta helped me to understand that writing is like making bread one has to keep kneading it until it gets the right shape and all of the lumps and bumps are gone. Also that at some point, one has to let go and move onto other parts of their writing or progress may not be made. She provided me with resources and very detailed edits. She also has a photographic memory so she caught inconsistencies in certain chapters which I needed. She is very honest in providing feedback but in a constructive manner. I also like that besides her detailed editing that also offers a follow up telephone meeting.”
-Ola O. author of Amira’s Choice
I learned so much from working with Britta: keeping a consistent POV (point of view), setting the scene, getting rid of unnecessary detail, being precise. The best gift from Britta was validation of what I was doing right. I loved how she organized her feedback into manageable chunks: story development, voice, prose, etc. It made tackling the revisions a lot less daunting. Thanks to Britta, I'm a lot more aware of POV. I'm getting better at keeping it consistent. (It's hard!)”
-Chuck Preston Jr. author of Road Burn
“Britta Jensen was immensely helpful to me as a tutor when I began to struggle in my courses last semester. She is knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects and was able to help me with all of my classes. Her writing and editing skills were especially invaluable in constructing my papers. She is professional, timely, and I can’t wait to work with her again.”