Heather S.

Writer, editor, beta-reader, and cruciverbalist

I have been teaching basic writing skills to undergraduates who are both native and non-native speakers of English since 2001, when I first took a part-time job at Champlain Regional College's Writing Centre. I defended my PhD in history at Johns Hopkins, where I edited (and graded) hundreds of student papers and dozens of my colleagues' articles and chapters for submission. I also worked at the Milton S. Eisenhower library information desk and helped students and the general public navigate the research resources. I am familiar with Chicago, MLA, and APA citation styles, and I understand the importance of proper source attribution in non-fiction. My own writing style is crisp and simple. I believe in short sentences that get right to the point. I read English, French, Italian and Latin and have a firm grasp of sentence syntax and argumentative structure. As a writer, I specialize in forms of biographical writing (which was the focus of my dissertation): job cover letters, statements of purpose for post-secondary programs, recommendation letters and character references. A main component of successful biographical writing is a personal touch, and I am available to discuss a client's background and skills over Zoom before embarking on a new project. I love copy-editing research because learning something new is such a joy. I take on beta-reading projects for historical fiction and fantasy at EXTREMELY reduced hourly rates for that very same reason -- because they are fun! I also revise training manuals, telemarketing scripts, and business documents. My portfolio contains some examples of my work, but since I cannot often share what I deliver to clients, I also offer potential clients a small sample (250 words) edit of their text. I charge sliding rates based on the level of service, i.e., proofreading costs less than line editing.