"So the writer who breeds more words than he needs,
is making a chore for the reader who reads."
Hi, I'm Amanda Phifer. Welcome to Phifer Editing! I've been editing manuscripts and dissertations for 20 years, but I will say my first love is for writing. I have written poetry, short stories, lots of academic work, even a melodramatic work of historical fiction when I was still in high school.
So, no surprise, in college I studied journalism - specifically advertising and public relations - and then I worked in PR for 10 years. I wrote it all, I think: news releases, research reports, newsletters, advertising copy, video scripts, marketing plans, fundraising material.
While I was working at my graduate school, my supervisor asked me to edit his education doctorate dissertation. I found that I was really good at it, and I really enjoyed it and it has morphed from there, from one person to another…Since then I've edited book manuscripts, poetry collections, short stories, children's books, academic articles, curriculum, official letters, professional introductions, and a whole lot of dissertations.
I love finding a diamond in the rough and polishing it. I really enjoy helping writers take their labors of love and making them the best they can be. As a writer and a reader, I will stop and re-read sentences out loud when I encounter well-crafted, well-written thoughts. So it's rewarding to use my skills to help someone else shine!
Editing is a collaboration. It's a give and take between two adults who have the same goal: good writing that achieves what you want it to. You should know that I read with the eyes of a reader, and give feedback accordingly. If you're looking for someone who will make you feel comfortable, I'm not the right person. I will always be courteous and encouraging, but my role is to help your writing be effective for your audience. Also, “perfect is the enemy of done.” We will work to get it as close as we can, and then we will send that baby out of the nest to fly.
So, if you are ready to polish, tweak, or otherwise prepare your work for its launch, reach out. Let's talk. Let's see what you've got, and how I might help.
"So the writer who breeds more words than he needs,
is making a chore for the reader who reads."
