Sally D
Valencia, Spain
“My aim in proofreading is to help people's writing to be the best it can possibly be.”
Specialist subjects:
Education:
BSc in Zoology and Psychology
University of Swansea
1990–1993
MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare
Edinburgh University
1993–1994
Favorite referencing style
Harvard because it's the one I used as a student.
Why I became an editor
I recently moved to Spain and have been helping my husband launch his career as a fiction author. I took a course on proofreading to enable me to proofread his manuscripts. I found I really enjoy the process of correcting and making the writing the best it can be, and also that I have some talent at it.
Background and experience
Until moving to Spain, I worked in animal welfare for two of the UK's most respected pet charities. My most recent position was a regional manager, a role that involved developing policies and documents and helping people and animals.
Now living in Spain, my husband and I run an independent publishing company to publish his fiction novels. I am the editor and proofreader of the venture, while he is the creative genius. I also have a pet sitting business, which I run alongside my proofreading.
Why I love proofreading and editing
I love the process of ensuring that someone's writing is as good as it can possibly be. I also enjoy the opportunity to read documents on a variety of topics that I would not normally come into contact with. I am particularly interested in scientific subjects, as this is my academic background, but many topics interest me, including politics, sociology, history, philosophy, and criminology.
Favorite book:
‘The Time Traveler's Wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger.
Hobbies:
When I'm not proofreading, I'm usually out walking my rescue dog, volunteering at the local rescue, or looking after other people's pets for my pet sitting business. I also love reading and gardening.
Editing tips:
A very good tip that was given to me is to make sure I read the document out loud to myself as a final run-through because this helps me find errors I might have missed by just reading.
