BarbaraArdingerWriting - Freelance (Expert for Hire)

Freelance

(Expert For Hire)

Got a thesis, report, or professional article to write? Trying to write a book? Maybe your job requires you to write better. And you're tired of staring at that blank screen or that empty sheet of paper.

Let Me Be Your Editor

I can help you cure your writer's block. Together, we can brainstorm for ideas, structure, and outline. As your editor, I can improve your grammar, punctuation, and English usage. I'll help you prewrite, write, and rewrite. And I'll hold your hand till the very end.

What is my focus when I edit? You are. I won't write your book, thesis, report, or professional paper for you, but I will help you make it as good as can be. I'll work hard so you won't embarrass yourself in public.

Do you know what "fresh eyes" are? Fresh eyes have not seen the same sentences umpteen times. Fresh eyes read what is really there, not what is remembered or expected. Fresh eyes catch simple, stupid mistakes that weary eyes swan right over. Fresh eyes see leaps of logic that weary eyes ignore.

I'll be your fresh eyes. I'll see the details you miss simply because you wrote it and think you already know what it says, even if that's not what it really says.

What Editing Is. Editing includes corrections in grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation. Often it also includes the addition of transitions and topic sentences. It includes moving sentences and paragraphs to increase the clarity of the material. I may rewrite a sentence or prune a paragraph, but I will not turn your writing into my writing.

What Editing Is Not. Editing does not include complete rewriting of sections, chapters, or an entire manuscript. I will not rewrite to change your voice or style. My objective is to help you not embarrass yourself in print.

In addition to having earned a Ph.D. in English, I have worked, off and on, as a freelance editor and authors' co-conspirator for 20-odd years. Translating "engineerese" into "gooder English," I have taken engineers' user-hostile rough draft and turned it into user-friendly manuals and proposals on subjects like "special nuclear material" (plutonium) containment, computer operating systems, and incomprehensible new inventions.

As a published author, I've also been on the other side of the editing process. My own books have been edited. (Yikes!) As a book reviewer and magazine columnist, I've also had my work edited by other professionals. I know how you feel when you get a bloody page back. I also know how skillful editing helps make good ideas clearer and more accessible. That's why I can help you.

Please note that I do not read and critique manuscripts. I do not give free professional advice to people whose work I have not already edited. I am not a literary agent. I cannot negotiate contracts or practice law in any way. Please don't ask.

Happy Clients

Barbara's knowledge of Wiccan subject matter has been invaluable to the progress of our New Age titles. She often brings new insight into the project and helps the authors structure their thoughts in a more concrete manner. Barbara is personally invested in any project I give her. She gives her all to each project to make sure she delivers it back to me in a superior form. She is dedicated, hardworking, and intelligent.
-Adams Media, Brett Palana-Shanahan,
associate copy chief
~ ~ ~
For me, the most bothersome and time-consuming parts of writing were (and still are) proper grammar and avoiding the pitfalls common to most new writers. Working with Barbara allowed me to get on with the creative process without having to sweat the little things. She helped turn what could have been a real nightmare of a project into an enjoyable and spiritual experience. Barbara is a rare find and a bargain at twice the price. I plan to work with her on all of my future projects.
-Lord Foxglove, Advancing the Witches' Craft (New Page Books, 2005)
~ ~ ~
Barbara ensured that my Australian/British English would be understandable to the American public for whom my book was principally written. She also introduced me to the Chicago Manual of Style, which I now keep on my bed-side table. My book is fiction but based heavily upon historical fact. Barbara made so many invaluable suggestions as the writing progressed that, by way of appreciation, I included her in the book in a cameo role. That is my way of saying thanks for her assistance, unfailing good humor, and innovative ideas.
-Terence Lee, L.L.M. (Sydney, Australia) author of Time Camera (Trafford, 2005)
~ ~ ~
My admiration for Barbara's her extreme talent at rearranging paragraphs, correcting, spotting glitches, etc., is boundless. She took a mish-mash of bad syntax, misspellings, poor grammar, rotten punctuation, and on and on, and made the final product something readable and hopefully enjoyable. If she'd let me, I'd start a writers' fan club for her. She's the best!
-Bobby "Boris" Pickett, author of Monster Mash: Half Dead in Hollywood, a Memoir (Trafford, 2005)

~ ~ ~

Barbara is not for the faint-hearted, as she is blunt and all business, but smart authors would be wise to seek this type of editor because she cares more about making you look good than offending your sensibilities. She's a perfectionist and made good use of her time and my money. If you want your piece of work to be the best it possibly can be, your fee to Barbara is money well spent.
-Andrea C. Hurley, author of What a Life: The Incredible Story of Josephine "Dadie" Jordan, a Memoir (Trafford, 2004)

Resume

Professional Experience

Freelance writer/editor and owner of I Can Write It For You (a consulting service), 1983-present. Clients are primarily small and mid-size businesses, corporate communications departments, entrepreneurs, and other professional people. Projects have included articles, proposals, user manuals, reports, collateral literature, and other efforts.
Columnist and journalist, 1985-present. I wrote a prize-winning weekly column for OC Metro Magazine. I researched and wrote lengthier "special reports" on topics like multi-level marketing, volunteerism, and the grand jury system for other business magazines. After editing a book on AIDS, I became a volunteer at an AIDS services agency. I have written articles, interviews, and book reviews on a wide variety of topics for business and metaphysical magazines.
Adjunct professor, National University. I taught business writing and public speaking to working adults, both military and civilian.
Presenter/Lecturer, UCI Extension; California State University, Fullerton, Department of Communications; California State University, Long Beach, Extension; Coastline Community College, Community Services. I taught classes and led workshops in business writing and the creative process.
Technical Writer/Editor. As a consultant and "captive" writer/editor in five industries—aerospace, computers, construction, hazardous materials cleanup, manufacturing—I wrote, edited, and coordinated technical documentation from rough draft to camera-ready copy. Projects included manuals, multi-volume proposals, and technical and administrative reports. I researched and wrote a publications department style and procedures guide and once held a DOD Secret clearance.

Education

Ph.D.	Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois Major: English Renaissance literature (emphasis on the drama)
M.A.	Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri Major: English Minor: Psychology

Editing Fee Schedule

Initial Reading. It is necessary and useful for me to read part of your manuscript before we begin working together. I need to see how you write and how well you write.

This initial reading does not include any editing, but is only a basis for discussion to ascertain if we can work together. I CANNOT give an estimate for the entire project based on your email to me or even a few pages, but after I've done four or five hours of work for you, we can extrapolate how long it might take to finish the book and how much it might cost.

Editing Fees.

All fees are payable by personal check or through PayPal. (But please note that I am not equipped to accept credit card payments. Please don't even try.)

$100 payable in advance and nonrefundable. After I have done this $100 worth of editing, it will be time for you to decide if you want me to continue. If so, all you have to do is send me another payment and some more chapters of your book. After we've been working for a while, many of my clients simply send me payments for five or ten hours of work in advance.

Advice and hand-holding. I never charge for email conversations. Because I usually make friends with my authors, these conversations usually take interesting detours. After the editing is complete, I can tell you what I know about finding a literary agent, preparing a book proposal, or dealing with a magazine editor or a publisher, but I will not do your homework for you. I will tell you as often as you need to hear it how well you're doing and that you will indeed survive this ordeal of writing and rewriting. No charge.

Note that I do not read and critique manuscripts. I do not give free professional advice to people whose work I have not already edited. I am not a literary agent. Please don't even ask.

Let me be your editor.

Send me a note today at bawriting@earthlink.net

Let's see how I can help you succeed.

email: bawriting@earthlink.net