have always believed that good writing and clear communication can change the world. I believe literacy is the most valuable tool we have in this age of information. And I further believe world literacy is achievable, and one of the highest goals to which we can aspire.

Clear communication
With these lofty ideas in mind, I set out to become an editor—to play a small part in both sustaining and developing the human race's gift of language and the written word. While I don't aspire to change the world single-handedly with words (!), helping to create well-written communications one document at a time is a good place to begin.

The ability to communicate with written language is the greatest triumph of the human race. There are more than six thousand languages currently alive in the world. This remarkable ability uniquely distinguishes us from the other one and a half million species on this planet. And yet, how we take this singularly astonishing feat for granted! Rarely do we pause to consider its far-reaching implications and effects. We never stop tampering and tinkering, neologizing, sometimes mangling and often strangling our precious gift.

Do you desire your prose to inspire pause and reflection? Are you striving to express ideas that will linger in your readers' memories? I will help to untangle your words, give them more elegance, clarity and substance, and make them memorable.

Sparkling prose
I have often been asked why I'm not a writer. The answer is, of course, that I am a writer. One cannot be an editor without first having mastered the art of writing. But I also have a knack for examining a manuscript and envisioning an improved structure for it, whether at sentence, paragraph or document level. In combination with my abiding passion for world literacy, my greatest fulfillment comes from using these skills to polish others' prose.

Good writing is an art. Good writing requires a mixture of sharp wit, childlike curiosity and an unfettered imagination. Self-discipline is paramount. An understanding of human nature, a measure of tempered cynicism and sense of the ironic don't hurt either. A writer can be a genius without having all the necessary tools of grammar at his or her command.

Good editing is both an art and a science. A good editor recognizes all of the foregoing qualities and, using the standard and sometimes intricate rules of English and the guidelines of document and grammatical structure, identifies how to polish them without blunting the creative edges.

I will make your words sparkle!