Carrie M
BC, Canada
“Precise punctuation packs a punch.”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
Why I became an editor
I learned to spot my own writing mistakes by helping my friends with their stories and novels. I realized how much I enjoy proofreading and making their work shine. I wanted to finally grasp all those different dialect rules I kept seeing and take my learning to the next level with the Becoming A Proofreader course.
Background and experience
As a graphic designer, I often worked with printers and proofread various marketing hard copies for mass production. When my daughter was born, I rediscovered books at the library and rekindled a childhood dream: to be a storywriter. I eventually built a portfolio of published stories. So much of good writing comes down to the editing, I realized, when I started my publishing journey. And I learned to spot my own mistakes by helping my writer friends with their novels.
Why I love proofreading and editing
I have a writer friend who has great ideas but is terrible at grammar. I couldn’t stand to let her send her work out into the world without making it as perfect as possible and felt compelled to help. It’s something a lot of writers overlook, but properly proofread work makes a world of difference. Also, I just really enjoy spotting mistakes!
Favorite book:
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is my favorite book.
Hobbies:
My hobbies include reading, forest walks, and catching up on Coronation Street.
Editing tips:
I have notes in various folders and a comprehensive checklist/cheat sheet. And I highlight quotes so I remember to treat them differently from the main text.