Hi I'm Tarsh,
Copyeditor and writing facilitator
Reading nerd, grammar geek and ardent believer that writing can transform lives.
As a first year teacher about to start teaching a unit about grammar, I taught myself the basics. Because, as a child of the 80's, grammar was a thing in the air that we were just supposed to absorb.
Me and the Collins Pocket Dictionary of grammar - off we went.
Over 25 years of teaching English to teenagers (Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome!), I've developed a deep and abiding relationship with grammar, spelling, sentence structure and syntax.
I understand how these elements work together to create meaning in writing and, if not managed properly, can either subtlely or entirely distort meaning.
25 years. 25 years of editing, proofreading and giving advice on, thousands of essays, reports, pieces of creative writing in school.
And, because once people get a sniff that you're half decent at this English thing, they're all like, "Heeeey...I just have this (insert piece of writing) that I'm not sure about. Can you take a look at it pahleeease?"
CVs, cover letters, theses (Masters and Doctorate), university assignments, website copy, books (non-fiction and fiction). I've edited them all.
Until someone I love and trust said, "Hey, you know people will actually pay you for this."
So after some further study, here I am. Certified grammar geek with 25 years of experience at your service.
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Pet writing peeves:
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Using objective pronouns as subjective pronouns - Me and my friends (a classic amongst teens)
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Overuse of reflexive pronouns (just talk to Ron or myself about this)
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Commas, commas, everywhere
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Less vs fewer
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Could of, would of, should of
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On accident vs by accident
The origin story...
As a teenager, I hung out in the school library a lot. Like a LOT. I really got into reading poetry. Nothing serious - just DH Lawrence and the like.
Something in my head and maybe my heart connected with this form. A thought formed in my mind, 'This seems simple. Maybe I can put words on a page too.'
So - September 1995. (Where are my fellow Gen-xers?) I picked up a pen, opened a spare 1B5 with my school crest on the front and wrote my first poem. The first of many over the next few years.
There's a reason that the word angst is often linked with teenagers and their writing. Because, let's face it, there's a LOT to get angsty about.
I believe that writing down my thoughts, experiences, dreams and fears saved my life. And I'm not exaggerating. Where would they all have gone otherwise - stored up in my foggy, teenaged brain to fester? Better out than in.
This started my trajectory as a lover and devourer of words. And a lifelong writer.
Studying English at university only stoked the flame - Chaucer, Donne, Yeats, Adcock. I loved it all.
Transferring my passion for words to a generation of teenagers has had all the elements of a good story. Ups, downs, wins, defeats, success and disaster. Epic.
Now I want to use my superpowers to save your writing and make it sing.
Ready to begin?
Whether you're polishing a thesis or just starting a creative project, let’s look at your draft together and make your words work for you.