I’m so excited to once again feature an editor interview for the Write Now Editing audience. Alexis is new to the freelance editing world, but her training and experience have helped hone the skills she needs to succeed. Here’s a little bit about Alexis and her writing/editing career.
When did you start writing/editing professionally?
Since 2007, after I graduated from college and landed a freelance job as the Growing Up columnist for Collegiate Quarterly (CQ), which is a faith-based publication with a worldwide audience.
Why did you want to be a freelance writer/editor?
I love to write, and editing is second nature to me. So it felt like the perfect fit.
What’s your specialty/focus?
Writing/editing/proofreading news and feature stories for newspapers and magazines.
What’s your favorite part of this kind of work?
I’m a very detail-oriented person and that focus helps me to catch errors and enhance the news/feature stories that I edit.
What’s your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge is writing novel-length books. Because of my training as a print journalist and experience in writing for newspapers, everything I write is precise and concise.
My first book, Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories, is an inspirational romance novella released in Sept. 2013. I’m working on my next book but am often meeting the challenge of making it novel-length. Novellas flow easier for me and I can take the reader on a sweet journey through the beginning, middle, and end of the fictional story without dragging it out to 80K plus words. However, 80K plus novels have their place and are best sellers. I have a few that I loved reading, but it’s just not my style (at least not at this stage of my career as a writer).
What’s surprised you the most during your career?
What surprised me the most during my career thus far is that I love to write feature stories! It was surprising to me when I discovered this about four years ago because when I was studying Journalism in college I did not like writing feature stories. I did not understand the format and thought writing crisp news stories was so much easier. Now, as a working freelancer, my love for feature stories has grown. It was first brought to my attention that it is one of my strengths by a former newspaper editor.
I’d love to be hired as a feature stories writer/editor and move away from reporting hard news.
If you could give a new freelance writer/editor one piece of advice, what would it be?
Keep writing and editing because it will grow your skill set and connections in the industry.
If you could do one thing differently in your career, what would it be?
Nothing, because I believe there’s a time and place for everything.
What’s your favorite kind of work? Why?
My favorite kind of work is interviewing people, because a journalism professor once said, “Interviews are conversations with purpose,” and you learn their story.
What does your work space/office look like?
Double windows to my right, a computer center in front of me, books everywhere, laptop front and center.
What is your go-to snack when working?
Chocolate.
If you could only recommend one editing resource, what would it be? Why?
AP Stylebook because it’s the most notable source for all journalists and contains everything you need to write/edit news and feature stories for print media.
If you could only recommend one writing resource, what would it be? Why?
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, because it contains valuable information to help you solidify your skills as a writer and move on to the next level of excellence.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Not at this point in time.
Thank you so much for appearing on my blog! Have a blessed day!
Well thank you for the interview!
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