About Andrea.
I suspect I gravitated toward editing because I’m basically a puzzle person. Fellow puzzle people know what this means. (For those who don’t, I highly recommend The Puzzler by AJ Jacobs.) As a result of this blessing/curse, I spent (too) much of my childhood staying up long past my bedtime; hiding under the covers, flashlight in hand, I was always “almost finished” my crossword! My bedroom floor was littered with puzzle pieces, much to my parents’ chagrin. And now, as a parent myself, I’m the obvious go-to for those errant Lego pieces that just don’t seem to fit.
When something is broken, I feel compelled to fix it. And when something is in disarray, I have an insurmountable urge to put it back together.
Editing, to me, is like a puzzle. It is the act of taking a collection of words and moving them around like puzzle pieces to produce something meaningful and cohesive.
Editors, like puzzlers, require intense focus and tenacity. They must follow a strict set of rules, but also be open to bending them in the right circumstances. Editors are often immersed in the minutiae of grammar and syntax, but must also be able to see the forest for the trees. To transform a text, whether through small tweaks or major structural changes, is—like finishing a puzzle—a deeply satisfying experience.
In addition to being a puzzle person, I am passionate about engaging with ideas. I started off my academic career studying Philosophy. As I pursued my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I regularly grappled with important thinkers and big ideas. Certain writers led me to appreciate the virtues of clear communication.
I went onto law school at Western University, where I edited the Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence. After articling and getting called to the bar, I entered the world of legal publishing. I stayed with the same company—Thomson Reuters—for 11 years. During my tenure, I occupied several roles, working primarily in product development and as a publishing manager. All the while, I sought out opportunities to edit, whether it was marketing copy, blog posts, or author manuscripts. I honed my sense of what constitutes good legal writing, and I regularly draw on that knowledge in my current venture as a freelance legal editor.
When not editing, I can be found on the tennis court, in the garden, curled up in my reading nook with a good book, and trying to keep up with my two curious and rambunctious boys, Max and Charlie!
Editing Philosophy.
Intention is crucial in writing, and this is especially true of legal writing.
In everything you write—be it a book, case comment, journal article, blog, memo, or email—the purpose of your piece needs to be front and centre. Maybe your objective is to educate students, persuade a judge, or attract new clients. Whatever you hope to achieve, that objective will be what guides you through the writing process.
Once you’ve identified your intention, you can then tailor your piece to your specific audience. Different readers have different levels of sophistication, background knowledge, and time constraints, and you’ll need to consider all these factors (and more) when crafting your piece.
But if your writing is littered with typos—if it’s wordy, repetitive, or otherwise incoherent—it won’t matter what you intended to say. Sloppy writing is distracting, and as your reader slogs through it, they will ultimately lose interest and may even start to question your authority.
Happily, all this is avoidable.
As a meticulous proofreader, I’ll ensure that your writing is free of embarrassing errors. And through careful editing, I’ll polish up your prose so that it’s crisp, clear, and compelling.