Zane P
Sturgeon Bay, United States
“Style and clarity are to writing what manners are to conversation. Clean, error-free style is not only aesthetic in nature but ethically obligated.”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
Favorite referencing style
I’m inclined toward Chicago style, as it has always struck me as aesthetically pleasing and easy to use when writing. While flipping to the back of a book to read footnotes is enjoyable in its own way, I think they look nicest at the bottom of the page.
Why I became an editor
As a writer and an avid reader, I am always looking for new ways to keep my own eye for language sharp. Proofreading and editing appeal to the critical and thorough sensibility of the persistent writer and the serious reader, making it, for me, the perfect occupation.
Background and experience
I've proofread academic work and a few fiction manuscripts.
Why I love proofreading and editing
The negative aspect of proofreading, logically speaking, is what appeals to me the most. I think of writing as a predominantly positive action, reading as both positive and negative, and proofreading as almost entirely negative: while proofreading a text, one adds nothing of oneself, but painstakingly removes, alters, and aids what others have, in the former positive sense, put down. It is the necessity to step lightly and decisively that makes proofreading so rewarding.
Favorite book:
My favorite book is In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.
Hobbies:
When I'm not proofreading, I'm drinking lots of coffee, walking around South Philadelphia, reading, and writing.
Editing tips:
On my first reading of a document, I like to quietly read it out loud to myself, pausing slightly in between each sentence. I do not make any edits until I have a feel for the text as a whole.
