Editing
Bringing Your Story to Life
When you have worked long and hard on a piece of writing, it is difficult to see what works and what doesn't, what's there and what isn't.
This is where an editor becomes an invaluable ally, bringing not only expertise in basic writing skills and English grammar, but also a fresh mind and fresh eyes to your work.
As a professional editor, I offer a full range of services, including:
Developmental Editing
In developmental editing, I work with you from the beginning of your writing project. For example, I may help you brainstorm ideas, conduct research, and organize your material. I also help you work through the writing and revising process.
Substantive Editing
Substantive editing involves working at the global, or idea, level to improve the quality of your thinking and supportive arguments.
For example, I may move sentences or paragraphs to other parts of the document in order to improve the flow and clarity of information; revise text to make it stronger and more compelling; delete repetitive ideas; or rework your introductions and conclusions.
Copyediting
In copyediting, I work line-by-line to repair run-on sentences; balance parallel structures; and shorten or lengthen sentences and paragraphs to improve their rhythm and readability.
I change passive voice to active voice; eliminate wordiness; and repair errors in subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
I may also work on the overall design of your document by adding whitespace and subheadings to give your readers the chance to "breathe" and absorb what they are reading.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final stage of editing.This is where I go through your document one last time to ensure there are no spelling/usage errors, missing words, typos or glitches.
Citation Styles
I am familiar with all of the major citation styles, including: Chicago, AP, APA and MLA.
One of the gifts of a good editor is a visionary eye that can catch and retain the essence of a thought while removing those things that get in the way of clarity.
Clarice has this visionary gift! After writing eight books and working with several editors, I can recommend her work thoroughly."
─Chris Brewer, author of Soundtracks for Learning: Using Music in the Classroom and Director of LifeSounds Educational Services
The Next Step
To learn more about my writing services, please go to: Writing