Chances are most of us have been to a concert where the composition was so discordant, so strident, we actually paused to question whether the instrument hadn’t been tuned before the performance. Sometimes composers intentionally choose a minor key or an atonal melody to communicate their message, just as some writers choose satire or sarcasm.
Other times, well… the composer should have called a tuner before their big debut.
Every pianist should know a great piano tuner. Every writer should know a great editor.
Why? For all the same reasons: To brighten the flats and mute the unintended crescendos. To catch the stray sharp you can no longer hear after months of revisions and countless shifts in measure and motif. To assure that every word rings true, that your message resonates, that you reach your perfect pitch.
Piano tuner, copy tuner. Even the skills are the same: technical expertise, a neurotic passion for perfection, and a good ear. A good ear? You betcha. I edit intuitively, which means I pick up on your voice and write and edit within it.
As a writer myself, I know what you’re looking for.
I don’t appreciate when editors put words in my mouth or insert their own voices. So that’s not how I edit or how I write for others. I’m successful when my clients don’t notice my paraphrasing or subtle word changes, or when I recast a sentence that misses the mark, helping them say what they mean to say.
How does that work? I listen carefully. I listen some more. I catch onto your vocabulary and your personality, I note your sentence patterns, and I work within those parameters. If you write from the heart, like you’re talking with a friend, I’ll get you.
Because I always stay behind the scenes, my clients take pride in their work.
“Rebecca is simply brilliant. I consider myself a pretty good writer, but now, with a growing business, I often don’t have the time to go back and rework my writing as thoroughly as I want to. Enter Rebecca. Her ability to grasp the message I want to convey, intuit what needs to change, and make that happen quickly is such a blessing. I never thought I would hire someone to edit my work, but now I fully understand the necessity of having a copywriter on my team. Having someone who understands what I want to achieve and how to make my copy shine with that message is priceless. Hire Rebecca. You will be thrilled that you did.”
“Armed with only the basic facts about my company and products and a few email conversations with me, Rebecca created not only the right words but the perfect tone for my website, gracefully infusing the information with just enough personality to really highlight and differentiate my product. Rebecca's professionalism, as evidenced by her prompt and clear communication, error-free copy and ability to truly listen to her clients, is what enables her immense creativity to really shine. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her services to anyone, and I genuinely look forward to working with her again myself.”
About the Tuner
As a self-proclaimed word nerd and anal-retentive grammarian, I have been a professional writer and editor for 17 years specializing in magazine writing and editing, recruiting materials, fundraising collateral, and manuscript editing. I can spot a dangling modifier at 20 paces and once saved an imprint of Random House from referring to the headmaster of Hogwarts as “Dumbledorf.” I am lover of classical music, an avid reader, and a sommelier wannabe who dreams of owning a letterpress shop and living in an oceanfront cottage with a view of Haystack Rock.
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