I am dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in writing -- making my own writing, and that of others, the best it can be. Years of experience have shown me that anyone's writing can be made better.

I enjoy every aspect of the writing process: original creation, organizing and shaping, polishing, and correction. Although many specialize in just writing, or editing, or proofreading, I find that alternating among these skills keeps my mind limber.

I also relish working on different subjects and for different media. And as a visual artist, I have a good eye for harmonizing text with graphic elements, in projects such as websites, marketing materials, and illustrated books.

My clients appreciate the energy and commitment I bring to each project.

My Background
I began writing and editing professionally in the 1970s, on the monthly Marin Women's News Journal, the international bimonthly New Realities magazine, and independent projects.

In the early 1980s I established Word Solutions, a service that encompassed word processing, editing, and writing. Running my own business, I confirmed my affinity for wide-ranging projects -- from academic papers to resumes, business letters to novels.

Participation in a weekly fiction writers' group developed my gift for articulating helpful comments, and led to critiquing novels for several authors.

I returned to freelancing in 1995, after six years in public information and project management for a $1.7 billion, four-state pipeline construction project.

For that project, I wrote, edited, proofread, and coordinated production of media materials, status reports, and environmental compliance and regulatory filings. I wrote the style guidelines that ensured consistency across all these documents. I also coordinated video documentation of construction and environmental protection, as well as script development and production.

Computer Capabilities
I taught myself word processing on my first computer, an IBM PC, in 1985. Since then I have worked on both PCs and Macintoshes, mastering many kinds of software and HTML. I've worked in Windows since 1992, adding the Microsoft Office suite in 1996; I currently use Windows Vista and Office 2007; I also edit PDFs in Adobe Acrobat. Connected with the Web since 1997, with broadband access since 2000, I've developed highly efficient web research techniques.

Professional Associations
The vital, supportive community of editorial freelancers is one of my mainstays. I was a member-at-large of the Bay Area Editors' Forum (BAEF) from 1995 to 2004 and a member of the Marin Editors' Group from 1998 to 2004. I joined the FREELANCE and FreelanceWritersEditors newsgroups in 2001, and I gain much from the lively editorial communities on Facebook. For BAEF, I served on the 2000 Freelance Rates Survey committee and as a speaker at these meetings:

• "Launching a Freelance Editing Business" - panelist
• "Your Online Brochure: Design a Site that Markets You Effectively" - panel moderator
• "Take This Job and Love It: Ideas for Finding Editorial Work" - meeting moderator

When I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2004, I joined the Northwest Independent Editors Guild to connect with my local community of editors and writers while maintaining my relationships with Bay Area clients and colleagues. The Guild's every-other-year, day-long "Red Pencil" conference is not to be missed! In 2015, a satellite group of editors in the counties north of Seattle formed for monthly get-togethers; I call our small band the Far North Editors.

"What about the 'Pictures'
in Pictures & Words?"
Pictures & Words brings together my love for both the written word and photography.

My photography is devoted to images of nature. I invite you to explore the Pictures side of Pictures & Words. There you will find a sampling of my photography, and information about my exhibits, publications, notecards, and limited-edition prints.