Six years and counting

Posted on 25th April 2016

Wow, these last six years have flown by but on May 4th 2016, Kateproof will be six! I'm reminded of the great A. A. Milne poem ('Now We Are Six'), though I'd like to think my first five years weren't so bad and I certainly hope the next six (and more) continue to go well. Anyway, I thought I'd take this opportunity to reflect a little on what I've learned and how I feel things have gone over the last six years, both a bit on the professional level and a bit on the personal. Fear not though, I don't expect this to be a therapy session you have to endure, but hopefully it will at least be enlightening (for whom, I don't know!).

The old adage of wishing I knew what I know now when I was younger couldn't be more true. I've had many lessons on undercharging, overquoting, biting off more than I can chew, not asking the right questions before starting a project, and not sticking to my guns when I've felt strongly about something. But who in business can say they haven't had their ups and downs? And I'd like to say I've learned from these situations so it can't be all bad. But if you email me about a potential fiction project and wonder why I ask so many questions and need to see a sample, it's because when I don't do that, the project may not get what it needs. And when I say I am fully booked, I do mean that, because my eyes can't do a 12-hour day, let alone a week or month of them (burn-out after a massive project with regular days like this was not pleasant). And when I say a project needs a copy-edit but you just want a proofread, that's not a negative comment but me trying to help you get the right service and the best for your text.

Even within these six years, which might be considered a short period of time by some, I've seen grammar change or at least start to, with debates on the slow death of whom, the use of their for the gender-neutral singular third person pronoun, the use of emojis and text speak (or should that be txt spk?) and numerous other rules being bent or conveniently forgotten. I enjoy keeping abreast of these language changes and helping clients understand them and what impact they may (or may not) have on their work.

I've made friends with a great set of colleagues and clients from all over the world. I've learned so much from them, both about the business of editing and proofreading but also about running a business. I've also learned a lot about myself, but that's definitely getting into therapy-session territory so I'll spare you those details.

Most importantly, I love my job and working with fantastic colleagues and clients. I'd therefore like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your support over the last six years, and here's to the next six...

Written by Kate Haigh.