FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
UNIQUE PRICING: I use what I call an open pricing model, meaning that I let my customers decide how much they can pay. This may sound like bad business, and maybe it is, but I believe in the fairness of people and I want my gifts and talents to be available to all. Yes, I need money like everybody else to live, but focusing my talents on resume writing, poetry and Christian writing is where I have the most to offer. If someone takes advantage of me, which has only happened once, that is on them, not me. That's how I see it. EDITING APPROACH FOR RESUMES: I have a proven format I use to organize a resume into concise, readable chunks. Most HR people will spend about 2-3 seconds scanning a resume, so the writing needs to be carefully written for both people and computers. Having spent most of my career in IT and web design, I know how computers and search engines think. Having spent most of my career as a consultant and a writer, I also know how people think. EDITING APPROACH FOR PROSE & CHILDREN'S BOOKS: I use an efficient and effective editing style that is used by major publications, magazines, and newspapers. There are four editing stages. Your manuscript may need one or two of them or all four. It just depends on the quality of your manuscript prior to editing. The four stages, in the order in which they are performed, are: 1. CONTENT EDIT High-level assessment to determine the scope (purpose), the points being made, the relevance of those points, and whether it all makes sense. What to keep in; what to take out; what to add; what to change. Deliverable: Written summary, evaluation, and suggestions for improvement as well as any questions I may have. Possibly some light document markup of obvious typos or errors. 2. STRUCTURE EDIT Organize points into an orderly narrative that flows well from beginning to end. Determine the angle, key sections or categories, and where the individual points should live. Deliverable: Heavily edited, reorganized, marked up, commented document 3. STYLE EDIT This is the ART of writing. It's what separates okay writing from impressive writing. In this edit, I make sure all ideas are expressed in a stylish way — simply, clearly, elegantly, and as evocatively as possible. Are paragraphs in good shape internally? Are transitions from one paragraph to another smooth? Is everything tight, clear, concise, free of jargon, awkwardness, or stuffiness? Are words lively, interesting and engaging or dry and boring? How strong is the introduction? These are just some of the questions I address in the style edit. Deliverable: Edited document that introduces more interesting style elements, livelier words, starts and ends strongly, and has a compelling narrative flow from start to finish that makes sense to your intended readers 4. PRESENTATION (OR COPY) EDIT WITH PROOFREADING Tidy up grammar, spelling, punctuation, typos. Also check for inconsistencies and ideas that might have gone astray during heaviest stages of the edit. Deliverable: An edited document free of typos, misspellings, poor grammar, mismatched quotation marks, inconsistencies in spacing, fonts, abbreviations, and more EDITING APPROACH FOR POETRY: This is more nuanced because poetry is art. Picasso would never ask the gallery owner where his brushstrokes should go or how to better convey his message. Poetry is like that. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to helping people with their poetry. It is individualized. I assure you I will always respect your art creation and never try to change the essence or voice. SELF-PUBLISHING GUIDANCE: Many new writers find the world of self-publishing to be very confusing. I have experience in this and can provide guidance if needed.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We begin with a free 30-minute introductory consultation via Zoom or phone. If hired, the client sends me their material to edit in MS Word format. I proofread, edit, provide feedback, or whatever it is that the client has asked for with "Track Changes" turned on in MS Word. I return the document along with any additional comments/suggestions to the client. We work iteratively like this until the work is done.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
GENERALLY: I've spent 35 years in the business world writing, editing, proofreading, and formatting all manner of content for internal uses and for client work. I've also designed dozens and dozens of websites. In addition, I also volunteered time with students and non-profit organizations for the same. FOR POETRY: I am a poet, myself, with over 400 poems thus far. I have a god grasp of this genre. FOR CHRISTIAN WRITING: I am a Christian and have studied and continue to study the faith. I've written many articles, essays, and poems with Christian themes.