Tracy Gardstein

Introduction: First of all, I have more than ten years of experience; I am a far better copy editor and proofreader now than I was when I first started, and am improving all the time. I also have a lot of experience proofreading and copyediting genres I have no personal interest in reading for pleasure (e.g., business, science) as well as genres I am drawn to (e.g., fiction, poetry, memoir, history, cookbooks). However, what really makes my work stand out is that I am not just a proofreader and copy editor, but a published writer, which makes me the equivalent of a cat AND a dog, a jackalope, or some other combination of two entirely different species. Being able to empathize with a writer leavens my drive for perfectionism with humanity and respect for an individual writer's voice. In other words, my suggestions are direct yet compassionate. The writer therefore knows that I am fully on his or her side and that I want to make the best book/article/essay possible. The independence, the solitude, the perfectionism, the polishing, the constant reading across several genres that enables me to learn new things and to be among the first set of eyes to read a given book, the using my brain.