Richard P
Midlothian, United Kingdom
“Keep it simple, make it clear.”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
BSC in Biology
St Andrews University, Scotland
1977–1979
Favorite referencing style
For me, APA is the simplest, as it is the style I am most familiar with.
Why I became an editor
I have been writing for about 35 years, first as a music lyricist and later as an author. I self-publish my own books, which I also edit and proofread, and have been running a self-help blog for several years now. I am drawn to working as an editor for three main reasons: 1. I both enjoy and feel I am good at it. 2. It provides me with another means of supporting a location independent lifestyle. 3. Studying and applying the course material has helped improve my own writing.
Background and experience
I spent several years living in Japan, where I had a few freelance proofreading jobs from private clients in Tokyo. I lived in a meditation centre in Guadalajara, Mexico for four years, and one of my jobs there was to edit and proofread teaching materials that had been translated from Spanish into English. In the last couple of months, I have been asked to proofread some press releases for the Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth in Berlin, where my brother-in-law works as a physics professor.
Why I love proofreading and editing
I have a good eye for detail and find it immensely satisfying to take a text that is riddled with errors and inconsistencies and make it read smoothly and concisely. Some of the topics I most enjoy working on are self-help, mental health and psychology, topics I have written about in my own books.
Favorite book:
‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle.
Hobbies:
Walking in forests, meditating, camping, sitting around fires, gazing at stars, writing, playing guitar, travelling, blogging, and trying to enjoy this short time on earth as much as humanly possible!
Editing tips:
On the first reading, I will generally correct any glaring typos. Next, I use the search bar to check for double spaces and unnecessary full stops.
