hOW IT STARTED

I began editing as a side gig while pursuing my BA in Philosophy back in 2009. During my studies and after graduation, I worked on every sort of text—and dabbled in every kind of editing—you can imagine! From novels to short stories, screenplays, theatre scripts, academic articles, undergraduate and graduate written assignments (term papers, dissertations), university application materials (personal essays, CVs, resumés, research proposals), art exhibition blurbs, petitions, and legal paperwork. You name it, I probably reviewed it!

HOW IT WENT

Eventually, I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to be mentored by the world-renowned Art Historian and celebrated contributing editor to Vanity Fair, Sir John Richardson. Under his supervision, I learned to apply meticulous line and copy edits, received “big picture” structural training, and gained valuable insight into the publishing industry. After the (one-year) internship, I went on to earn my MA in Philosophy, and used these skills to spearhead a team of writers at the WIPJ, an academic journal dedicated to promoting the work of women and gender minorities in philosophy.

HOW IT’S GOING

Over time, I’ve discovered that “big-picture” editing comes most naturally to me. Which makes sense, if you think about it! After all, evaluating a text as a whole and then addressing its strengths and weaknesses is a core aspect of philosophical training. I’ve also discovered that I enjoy working with fiction more than nonfiction. So I’ve decided to take the plunge, move my services online, and specialise—retiring my detail-oriented offerings in favour of exclusively providing developmental edits, line edits and manuscript evaluations for works of fiction.

What’s next

To ensure my edits are of the highest quality, I’ve completed:

• The Editorial Freelancers Association’s (EFA) Developmental Editing of Fiction I (Beginner) certificate.

• The Editorial Freelancers Association’s (EFA) Developmental Editing of Fiction II (Intermediate) certificate.

• The Editorial Freelancers Association’s (EFA) Developmental Editing of Fiction III (Advanced) certificate.

• The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading’s (CIEP) Art of Querying certificate.

• Louise Harnby’s (Chair of The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, CIEP) Start Crime Fiction Editing certificate.

• New York University Tisch School of the Arts’ Modern Screenwriting certificate.

I’m also currently enrolled in:

• The Editorial Freelancers Association’s (EFA) Editing Romance certificate.

Moving forward, I intend to continue updating my skills with certificate courses from the EFA, the CIEP and assorted universities. My dream is to one day look back and say I’ve worked with hundreds of talented authors from all over the world!

Let’s work together

If you’re a writer or a publisher, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me at noumenonedits@gmail.com or via the form on this website!