Editing

“You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.”
– Arthur Plotnik (photographer, journalist, author, editor, and librarian)

The written word remains a crucial element of human civilisation, and editing helps to ensure that you communicate your message clearly and effectively. Editing aims to remove any obstacles between your audience and what you want to convey to them. Good editing is invisible: when material has been well edited, you don’t even notice the editing. However, when material has not been properly edited, you quickly notice the flaws.

I have previous and current experience editing articles, emails, blog posts, poetry, children’s books, and more.

I’d be more than happy to take a look at your material and assess what kind of editing is needed.

Proofreading

Proofreading occurs near the end of the writing or development process, when you’re almost ready to release your material to the world. With all your editing and refinement done, proofreading is the final step to ensure that no mistakes have crept in – including issues with spelling and grammar, formatting, and visual clarity.

I have extensive proofreading experience – both for text-only content, and combinations of visuals and text (e.g. infographics or brochures).

I meticulously check your content to ensure that the material is perfect – free of all flaws and mistakes.

Writing

I’m able to write website content, short descriptions or text for social media content or YouTube videos, and articles or blog posts. Please see my Published work page to get an idea of the type of material I’ve written in the past, but bear in mind that I am not limited to these areas, so let me know what you need.

I’ve also written scripts for dialogues and instructional videos, and would be happy to consider these kinds of projects too.

For job hunters, I’m also able to edit or develop cover letters and CVs.

Visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words, and in today’s world, you need visuals to catch people’s attention – no matter how captivating your text is.

• Content covers: I am able to produce cover graphics for your content – which you can use for social media promotion or any other purposes.
• Poetry and prose: I have extensive experience producing graphics to get poetry and prose into a visual format – either as a teaser image, or laying out the entire piece into graphics.
• Wallpapers: Is there a particular motto or lesson you need to remember, and would like captured as a wallpaper for your phone or computer? I can design a visual for you to use as a wallpaper so that you are constantly reminded whenever you look at your screen.
• Adverts: Need to promote a service or product, or advertise a newsletter, event, or call for submissions? I can produce a custom-sized advert which you can share on WhatsApp, social media, or any other platform.
• Other materials: I can also produce other visuals for your content, sized to your requirements.

Please see the samples below, and if you need visuals along these lines, I’d be happy to explore your requirements.

Rates

In general, I work on an hourly basis, with a base of £25 / US $35 per hour – though this is negotiable. Those based in South Africa can contact me to find out the rate in Rands based on their requirements.

However, note that each quote is tailored based on the type of service you require, so nothing is set in stone.

Enquiries and quotes

To get a quote on the work you’d like done, or any other enquiries, please email me on dreamlife.publications.za@gmail.com. Alternatively, send me a message via Instagram.