Jennifer S
Hobart, United States
“A proofed piece of writing is a polished piece of writing!”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
BA in Communication–Public Relations
Purdue University Northwest
2004–2008
Favorite referencing style
AP Style. It is what I learned in college when I was first learning the art of editing, and it is what I have used since then.
Why I became an editor
I have always loved writing, and while earning my degree, I took courses in news editing and news writing, where I fell in love with the editing process. I then worked in HR for 12 years, where I regularly composed written documents and unofficially acted as proofreader and editor in the office. After I had my first child and was hit with the desire to do work that I really love, I took the Becoming A Proofreader course to take my passion for proofreading and editing to a professional level.
Background and experience
As previously mentioned, I took college courses where I learned all about the proofreading and editing process. I was able to write some during this time, including during my internship, and use the skills I had learned. Then, during my time in HR, I earned the reputation around the office of being a grammar guru, so I was always proofing documents, emails, and other types of correspondence for coworkers, including my boss, who called me his "personal wordsmith."
Why I love proofreading and editing
I think a well-written document is a truly beautiful thing, so it gives me great satisfaction to use my skills to turn any type of document into a well written one. Plus, I think if your writing is polished, then you appear polished as well. In the business world, where my work experience is, having exceptionally written and edited materials makes the whole company look more professional, which also gives me great satisfaction, since my background is in public relations.
Favorite book:
Not original at all, but the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling will always be my favorite!
Hobbies:
While proofreading is a passion of mine, my true passion is being a mama to my one-year-old daughter, Sophie! I also love drinking coffee, doing yoga, cooking, gardening, and going for family walks.
Editing tips:
It helps me to look over a document as a whole prior to going through it line by line. That way, I get sense of what the subject matter is, which I find helps with the editing process.
