I took my first editing job in 2012, as a freelancer working with the (now re-branded) small press Third Place Press, helping local and emerging authors prime their pieces for the daunting world of self-publishing. I continued working with Third Place Press for years, and was thrilled to watch as it transitioned into the now thriving VertVolta Design + Press under the creative eye of long-time bookseller and designer Vladimir Verano.

Over time and with more professional experience, I began taking on new clients independently and specializing in key areas of the editing process. In addition to new authors, I met and worked with business professionals polishing their online portfolios, entrepreneurs and educators publishing instructional manuals and self-help materials, and technology and science experts writing for public audiences.

But more and more, I noticed many of the manuscripts I found attached in emails weren't much farther along than first drafts, in need of substantial revision before they would be ready for the fine-tuning of a line editor. In consultations with new clients, I met writers struggling to put pen to page, or with outlines and false-starts to stories languishing in kitchen drawers. I realized this is where my passion lies... at this early stage of the process. The big picture work: development, structure, assessment, and coaching. Helping cobbled-together drafts and messy paragraphs find their cohesive, shining footing, and helping writers get motivated and working.