Seven things freelancers know about time

I used to experience time like any other person. Then I went freelance. Seriously though, working for myself has made me see time differently. I’ve spent my whole editorial career – whether as an employee or self-employed – focused on deadlines, but since running my own business, somehow they matter more. The responsibility for sticking to schedules lies with me … Read More

Blog appreciation: January

Here are some posts by other editors that I’ve enjoyed reading recently.* A Quick Guide to Discovery Calls by Erin Brenner This post particularly resonated with me this month, although I wasn’t familiar with the term ‘discovery call’. Quite often I will have a chat with a prospective client prior to agreeing a work contract. However, there are limits. I’m … Read More

What learning additional languages can teach me about editing my own

Last spring I decided to start learning another language again. I say ‘again’, because I do have some prior experience of learning languages. I studied French at school between the ages of 11 and 18, as well as a year of German from 13–14. When I was about 26 I spent two terms learning Spanish at an evening class, and … Read More

The aesthetics of editing

Editing text is a strange undertaking. The job is composed of many quite technical aspects – but without art, without attention to beauty, it is compromised. The technical aspects can be time-consuming to accomplish, and they’re essential. When I’m copyediting a piece of text, for example, I will do all of the following as a minimum: Check the overall structure … Read More

The story of a new name

I wanted to write a little about my experience so far of rebranding. I’ll also revisit this in six months or so, to see what measurable effects changing the name and image of my business has had. I decided to change the name of my business for three reasons. The first was that I felt the business name I had … Read More