FAQs
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
In the days before voice mail, when operators still answered phones, the operator in my apartment called me. She said she "overheard" that I was a writer. Would I like to write and photograph kidney transplant surgery? I said yes and began the most fascinating career I could imagine.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Before you meet with a potential client, think about which services you need and can afford. Services range at their least expensive end from proofreading, to simple copy editing, to the most expensive and comprehensive service: substantive editing When proofreading, editors check grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, verb tense, pronouns, spacing, and formatting. They do not rewrite your copy. Copy editing focuses on making certain that writing is clear, correct, concise, complete, and consistent. This work includes sentence and paragraph restructuring, eliminating redundancy, and substituting weak words, phrases, and sentences with vibrant alternatives--while still retaining the author's style and tone. Substantive editing includes major rewriting designed to both improve the authorâs paper and to teach him/her how to make such changes in the future. For writing assignments, read the professionalsl sampled and see whether the person is 's responsive to your ideas rather than simply promoting their own.
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
I wish the average client realized how much time and effort a good editor can save them. A poorly edited work distracts the reader from the message.