Lynn B

Medford, Oregon, USA

“Improving accuracy and precision while ruthlessly eliminating errors is my idea of a good time.”

Specialist subjects:

Alternative Medicine American Studies Education English Philosophy Psychology Theology & Religious Studies

Editing formats:

Education:

BA Psychology

Wellesley College

1977–1981

Favorite referencing style

I am most familiar with MLA but can also proofread APA and am confident I can learn any style a client requires.

Why I became an editor

As a high school senior, I decided to see how perfect I could make a particular English paper. I kept telling my teacher that it wasn’t quite ready, as I rewrote over and over. Finally I turned it in, a month late. When he gave it back, he had written, “If every late paper was like this, I would demand that every paper be late”!

Since then, I have learned that I enjoy not only making my own writing excellent, but helping others improve theirs. This began with home schooling two children through high school, moving on to teaching writing for eight years, and most recently working as a reader aid helping honors students improve their essays. Now, I have made the leap into professional proofreading, and I am excited to keep helping others to produce error-free, clear writing that communicates just what they intend. And in case you wondered, I do meet my deadlines!

Background and experience

I've held the following roles:

Tutor/Teacher

Classical Conversations Liberal Arts

2010–2018

Teacher, Freshman Honors English

Cascade Christian High School

2016

Reader Aid: Helping English Teachers grade/comment on Honors English draft essays in preparation for Advanced Placement Exam

Medford 549C School District

2019

Why I love proofreading and editing

I read widely and am blessed/cursed with noticing spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes, and they annoy me! As a teacher, I have loved helping young people learn to write, and for years I have been the go-to person in my circle to edit everything from guest opinions to obituaries to college essays. Proofreading and editing is one of my favorite things to do: helping others to communicate what they want to say clearly, concisely, and without error.

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Favorite book:

One of my favorite books is the hilarious Eats Shoots and Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. For pleasure, I especially love biographies.

Hobbies:

I love to read, of course. When weather permits, you will find me working in the garden on my small farm or riding my Arabian mare through the surrounding pear orchards.

Editing tips:

My favorite tip is to read the document out loud. It is the best way to catch errors my eyes might miss.

My second favorite tip is to sit on the document overnight before a final check, so I can read it with fresh eyes.

Finally, with academic editing, after I've read through the document to get a feel for it, the first thing I tackle is references to make sure all is in order, both in-text citations and the works cited page. I've found this is the best way to catch errors before I become caught up with the fun part: the writing itself.

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