Editing

Philosophy | Services | Samples

Overview

I’m a freelance editor specializing in copyediting and line editing.

Before becoming an editor, I completed the Russian language immersion program at the Defense Language Institute in California while serving in the United States Air Force. I then earned a BA in both linguistics and Russian language and literature from the University of Washington. I have been tutoring English composition and English as a second language (ESL) since 2004. In 2017, I received my editing certificate from the University of Washington, at which time I started freelance editing and tutoring as Belmont Editing & Tutoring Services.

My interests include philosophy, psychology, linguistics (English and Russian), photography, photo editing, music, creative writing, yoga, and mindfulness meditation.

My Editing Philosophy – the What and the How

I consider editing to be both an academic enterprise as well as a subtle art, requiring a skillful back-and-forth maneuvering between objective and subjective frames of reference while remaining true to the writer’s intent.

When copyediting, I consider my author’s writing through an objective lens, much like a computer programmer might approach the task of coding. Being a binary process, the work is either right or wrong. In this mode, I diagnose and resolve issues related to grammar, spelling, syntax, continuity, and punctuation—the what of the writing.

When line editing, I consider my own subjective experience of the writing, much as an art critic might approach a critique of a painting. This process is nonbinary, meaning questions of right or wrong are irrelevant. In this mode, I maintain a sense of curiosity about the work, addressing those issues related to tone, style, feeling, and purpose—the how of the writing.

My primary task is to remain objective while honoring the subjective nature of the work. Doing so both ensures and constitutes a healthy and amicable editor-author relationship.

My Editing Services

I offer copyediting and line editing to both native and non-native English-speaking business professionals, authors, and undergraduate- and graduate-level college students. I edit the following types of writing:

College admissions essays/personal statements (undergraduate and graduate)
Academic English essays
Business documentation
Websites and blog posts
Novels, short stories, poetry

My Editing Samples

Clicking on a link below will allow you to download a Microsoft Word document. Each document includes a detailed description of the editing work I provided for each client along with my edits, comments, and final cleaned versions.

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