What can I help you with?
Copyediting
Copyediting (light or heavy)—Whether it’s a short story being polished for submission or a line edit for publishing, I can help with grammar, punctuation, consistency, and style. From years of working in new play development and with the spoken word, I have an ear for the flow and pacing of dialogue and love working with writers to make their work sing. I’m experienced working in the Chicago Manual of Style as well as the Associated Press Style, and I have experience using several different Wordpress based Content Management Systems for blogging. I enjoy working in dark fantasy and horror, but I’m excited to work with writers of any genre or type. (Fee Project-by-Project Basis)
Proofreading
I have great attention to detail and am a stickler for consistency. I like to think of proofreading as what in film is called “last looks.” It’s the opportunity to make sure all hair and make-up are set before shooting the scene. Like last looks, it’s my opportunity to catch anything that is out of place. The proofread is a final polish to check for typographical and grammatical errors and to double-check that any intended changes have been made before a piece of writing goes into production. (Fee $25 an hour)
Indexing
Indexing is my kind of puzzle; it’s the type of creative challenge I enjoy. Analyzing a text and being able to parse and synthesize the important themes for readers into a helpful and digestible database is a pleasure. In the past, I’ve faced challenges such as indexing books with multiple writers as well as indexing a collection with pieces written over 100 years apart. Subjects I specialize in are genre literature; horror, fantasy, gothic, weird, the beats; the performing arts; theater, film, and dance, as well as religion and esoterica; Christian mysticism, Vedic religions, and the occult. Past projects I’m proud of include Lovecraftian Proceedings 3 and The Secret Ceremonies: Critical Essays on Arthur Machen (featured in the New York Review of Books and recommended by Michael Dirda). (Fee Project-by-Project Basis)