As well as writing, I also work as an editor, literary analyst, and content creator. These are fields that I have naturally fallen into along my journey as a writer. I decided to study editing as a way of improving my own written word, and just as I was completing my studies in that field, I was approached to take on my first editing job.
Editing a visual grammar manual created by linguist and all round gent, Samuel Hemingway, was a nice way to get started in the field. Sam and I had worked together as teachers, so we already had a good rapport going. Sam knows his way around English grammar, so there wasn’t much for me to correct on that front, but this was my first go at ensuring every comma, full stop and capital letter were in the right place. This project honed my eye for detail and taught be great lessons in the editorial process.
I had already written several graded reader for publishing house PONS, before they approached me to edit this edition created by Simon Heptinstall.
It was a pleasure working on 20 of Simon’s stories set across the US and Canada. I used my knowledge of the CEFR for languages to ensure his vocabulary choices were perfect for B2-C1 level learners, then sat back as PONS added beutiful visuals to Simon’s narratives.
Lois Duncan is best known for her YA suspense and horror novels, the most famous of which is probably I Know What You Did Last Summer.
It was a pleasure to be asked by Easy Readers to adapt one of her other popular works of fiction, Locked in Time.
As editor, I was tasked with not only drastically shortening the gothic romance novel, but also moderating the language used so that it may be read by learners of English.
Of course, the tricky bit for me was doing this while also retaining the beautiful imagery and tension that Duncan is so famous for.
Again, this was a lesson in editorial and adaptation process for me, like scultping a fine ornament from an already striking piece of art.
As well as creating original stories for Burlington Books, over the years, the publisher has also asked me to develop literary analysis questions for many of their graded readers. This has involved examining their adaptations of literay classics such as Great Expectations, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and the The Secret Garden, as well as their own original work, like the Hunt for Jack the Ripper, and creating literary based questions to improve young readers’ understanding of the narrative devices used in such classics.
I also created guidance material for teachers who might be studying these timeless tales in class, with culture pages and background information about the authors, just to make their already busy lives a little easier.
This was a great opportunity for me to dip into some of the much neglected tricks that I had picked up in my university years, and it was a pleasure to be once more dissecting the works of literary geniuses.
And what do I do while not writing my own stories or editing those of other writers? Well, I create content, mainly of the English language learning type, and mostly for calendars. It’s an odd little side hustle, but one that I enjoy working on throughout the year. It’s great fun thinking of new and interesting topics to keep time and date concious learners entertained with, and it also helps me to remember my own dealines and schedule!
