Welcome

Words matter--because ideas matter. Great ideas that are not expressed clearly often are misunderstood, underappreciated, or ignored completely. Don't let that happen to your great ideas!

I specialize in helping you choose the words to communicate your ideas clearly, in your voice, without distracting errors or confusing word choices. Whether you're telling a story, explaining a procedure, or arguing for your point of view, I can help you refine your writing. I can help you express yourself so that your ideas and your voice are heard.

Do you need a short piece of writing, but don't have the time or inclination to write it yourself? I can help with that. I write blog posts, informational articles, and opinion pieces. I can use information you provide or do my own research, whichever you prefer.  

Do you have a piece that you've written, but that needs some refining? You're ready for copyediting, and I can help with that, too. When I copyedit your work, I'll read through it line by line, looking for anything that may trip a reader up and dilute the power of your ideas. I'll make suggestions to increase the clarity and readability of your writing, with a focus on style and tone, word choice, consistency, and error correction. Before I begin, we'll talk about the purpose and tone of the writing, and about how much editing you want me to do. I can do light or heavy editing, being sure to preserve your voice.

Do you have a piece that's already been written and copyedited and now is ready for proofreading? Guess what--I can help with that as well. Once the writing and the copyediting have been done, your work needs to be read one more time. Sometimes errors slip through, and these errors need to be caught and corrected so that your final work is polished and publication-ready. In this phase, my assumption is that your piece is ready for publication--you've checked your facts, and you're happy with the organization, tone, and word choice. However, it's possible that there are still inconsistencies or typographical, grammatical, or "mistaken word" errors that spell check won't catch ("its" instead of "it's," for example, or "there" instead of "their"). I can be the final set of human eyes to find and correct these errors.

Do you have a book that may be ready for publication, but needs feedback from your target audience? I also offer beta reading. I'll read your book and give you candid, detailed feedback about what works, what doesn't work, plot holes, character development, and everything else that your target reader will notice. I'll provide you with a written report, in addition to answering any specific questions you have.

Maybe your written work isn't prose or poetry, but a completely different beast--a resume. I can not help you write your resume, but I can help you improve it. I can help you highlight the skills that underlie your work duties, optimize your word choices, and avoid errors. I'm also familiar with the specialized requirements of Federal resumes and can help ensure you include all the required information.

I would be honored to work with you, and no matter which service you need, I will do my best work for you. Writers have unique voices, and editors should respect them. If you want me to write a piece in my own voice, I will do so, happily. If you want me to edit or proofread your piece, however, you can rest assured that I will not change your voice. You own your writing, you control your writing, and your writing should resonate with your own voice. My job as an editor is to enhance your voice so that it rings out more clearly, not to obscure it underneath my own. I commit to you that my copyediting and proofreading work will remain in the background, polishing and enhancing your own voice, never inserting mine.

I also commit to you that I will strive to deliver to you a product that is error-free. If you ask me to write for you using information you provide or in a style you choose, I will be true to what you've given me. If you ask me to write for you after doing my own research, I will fact check my information. If you ask me to edit your work, we will discuss how much fact-checking you want me to do, and I will live up to my agreement. In both editing and proofreading, I will do my best to catch any spelling, grammatical, word usage, or other errors and suggest corrections to you. These things I promise. I will not, however, make a promise that I cannot keep, and I cannot promise perfection. No writer, no editor, no human can promise that. I will aim for perfection, but I am human and I may make a mistake. Therefore, no matter what service I provide to you, you will be responsible for doing a final read-through yourself, to reassure yourself that you are satisfied with the writing that will bear your name.

I quote each project individually. The price will depend on the services you require, how long your written work is, and how quickly you need me to deliver my work to you. My rates fall within industry standards as assessed by the Editorial Freelancers Association, but they will vary within those norms. In order to give you an accurate quote for editing or proofreading services, I will need to review a representative sample of the piece. Please contact me to request a quote.

For questions about my services, or to request a quote, please email me at SpitlerDLS@gmail.com.