Denice G
Burlington, Canada
“Successful editing is reading and revising for clarity while listening carefully to the writer's voice and intention.”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
M.Ed
University of Toronto
2003–2005
B.Ed
Queen's University
1988–1989
BA (Hons) in English and French
McMaster University
1984–1988
Favorite referencing style
I like APA because of my interest in psychology and the social sciences.
Why I became an editor
I have always been intrigued by language and the writing process. I studied English at university and then decided to pursue teaching this subject as a career.
As an English/ESL teacher with many decades of editing student essays (and writing many papers of my own), I wanted to combine my obsession with grammar, attention to detail and love of reading with my passion for helping writers put the final shine on their work.
Proofreading was the answer to the next step in my language journey!
Background and experience
As a teacher who has taught at the high school and college levels, I have many years of experience editing student essays. In addition, I have written and edited copy for marketing brochures for a private school as well as written, edited and proofread online newsletters and web content for a local school board parent committee and a provincial parent association.
Why I love proofreading and editing
I love the opportunity to work with writers and help guide them through their work to produce a consistent, error-free text. Proofreading allows me to walk in the writer's shoes but never leave any evidence of my footprints at the end!
I particularly enjoy proofreading and editing humanities/social sciences, health, wellness/lifestyle and business/marketing materials.
Favorite book:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Hobbies:
When I'm not proofreading indoors, I am most likely to be found outdoors either riding my horse or zipping up my beekeeping suit to look after my many beehives.
Editing tips:
One useful technique to spell-check is to start with the last word in the text and then work your way up to the top of the page. It helps the brain look for errors rather than read for comprehension.