Services

What can I do for you? Below are some descriptions of my common services. If you are looking for something that isn't mentioned, send me an enquiry.

Copy-editing: ​
​line by line

Lend me your drafts! Your fiction and nonfiction, your blog posts, essays and articles. I will comb through to check for errors and inconsistencies, suggest changes if needed and flag any potential issues. This conversation on the page can go back and forth, depending on how much time we have. At the end of the day, it's still your work. My job is to be stealthy and unseen – like a ninja, if ninjas were trained in the proper use of semicolons.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Proofreading:
​the final polish

You've written something great, and you're almost done, but before you send your writing into the world you want someone else to check it. Good idea! When you read your own work over and over, your brain can fill in the gaps and show you what you want to see. Your brain is only trying to help, but this means that you literally can't see your own mistakes. Proofreading picks up these little errors, so no one will know that you wrote 'orgasm' instead of 'organism'.

Manuscript assessment: 
how's it looking?

Writing a manuscript is tough, and the thought of anyone else reading it is terrifying. But before you show your work to an agent or a publisher, consider getting a manuscript assessment. I can provide feedback as a neutral third party – unlike your mum, who will always tell you that it's great. I can give your manuscript my full attention and report back on what works well and which areas need strengthening. I will be honest, but respectful and kind.

Photo by 2Photo Pots on Unsplash

CV formatting:
a good first impression

Your CV (curriculum vitae) or resume is a list of your key skills and experience that employers need to see before they hire you for a job. If you want to make a good first impression, your CV should be impeccable. They should always be accurate – I won't invent experience for you, or give you fake references, but I can take your sloppy version and turn it into a polished and professional-looking document.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Native English assessment:
from fluent to natural

English is one of the most difficult languages in the world. It's confusing and inconsistent, and can be hard to explain. Have you ever heard someone say that a certain word or phrase is correct because 'it just sounds better'? If you've learned English as a foreign language, you may be technically perfect but still find it hard to sound 100% natural. As a native English speaker, I can review your writing to make sure it sounds just right, and suggest changes to give you a more natural tone.

Grammar is a piano I play by ear.” – Joan Didion