Editing

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Introduction

Every now and then, I’ll update this page with links to the latest published stories and other projects that I’ve edited for copy and comprehension. The topics covered, format, skill level and formality of these works vary greatly in reflection to their authors, whose work I vow to never damage, only improve.

The abundance of NSM Today content is thanks to my current role as an editor for its sports and life sections. We do our best whenever possible to coach our reporters while editing their work, maintaining constant communication to bring out the best in their stories and stay factual while losing none of their voice. After all, you can’t become an NSM Today editor without being a reporter first, so we follow the golden rule.

Toward the bottom of the page, I’ve also included some hiring material that I’ve edited for others. As I explain, after I was done with these resumes, the folks who I edited them for both got the internships they were after at the time. They’re small victories in the grand scheme, but I’m especially proud of them.

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Edited stories

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Okelo Peña’s resume, edited April 2021-

(before / after)

I took this job in order to help Okelo find one of his own, and I’m pleased to report that he was given an internship with USA Today as a result.

Okelo and I did great work on his resume, taking it from a crowded, menu-like and unorganized rough draft to something clean and impressive. We did it in two rounds, first with comprehensive suggestions, and next with thorough editing for spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation and comprehension. Upon suggesting that he change the colorway to make the document printable, Okelo provided three different alternative looks for the resume, one of which we chose to stick with.

Due to the drastic change in formatting, track changes were left disabled for the entire duration of the editing process. While spelling and grammar issues were handled mostly with silent edits, all significant changes are described in my transmittal letter.

Files-

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Okelo Peña’s portfolio, reviewed April 2021-

Okelo’s website, when I first found it, was such that the Nicholson School may have approved, but still left much to be desired visually. Applying C.R.A.P. design principles, I invoked contrast by suggesting he rework how text is displayed in order to make it more readable against the Manhattan skyline, repetition and alignment to improve continuity by establishing a structural theme with smaller widgets, and proximity by including more text and pictures. I approached this project with the main goal of rearranging and adding to Okelo’s website, rather than tearing it all down and starting over.

Files-

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Thiemo Belote’s resume, edited June 2019-

(before / after)

Thiemo is a friend of mine, and he asked for my help one summer as he was trying to find a job in his field of study, chemistry. Editing his resume was a matter of making the most with what he had at the time, that being an incomplete degree and only a handful of relevant experiences. Thiemo trusted me to take his resume and to do whatever I wanted to do with it.

I reformatted the entire piece and found ways to combine items that stood weakly alone, rewriting much of the document with Thiemo’s cooperation. After my first round of edits, Thiemo filled in the missing information and sent the resume to Bacardi, not allowing me to take a second look. On the bright side, Thiemo got the job.

Files-

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2021 Editorial Values Statement

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