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Work experience

Professional Writing and editing consultant

silver scroll services
2008present

I have written, edited, critiqued,  formatted, and fact/reference checked novels (traditional and digital), short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, reports, proposals, speeches, news articles, web content, online course material, book reviews, resumés, theses, dossiers, essays,  and more using various style guides for over a decade. My literary specialties include young adult fantasy and fiction, children's books, adult fantasy, fiction, and creative nonfiction, poetry, and self-help (especially leadership and new-age concepts).

Writing and editing for literature, government, business,  IT, academia, science and engineering, nonprofits, and magazines has equipped me with a solid foundation, a well-stocked arsenal, and an ability to adapt. I love to learn, imagine, and find errors. Specializing in plain language, I believe that every report, blog, poem, or proposal is a story and every company or client is a character.

Technical Editor

Matrix Solutions inc.
20132016

I edited/formatted technical documents using existing style guides including reports, proposals, resumes, manuals, SOPs, and more for diverse clients and regulatory bodies. I also finalized/edited/compiled reports with tables, figures, and appendices in Adobe Acrobat Pro and reference/fact checked and controlled documents from creation to PDF including figures, tables, and appendices. Beyond that, I wrote/edited/formatted resumes for all employees and associated consultants and maintained the resumes database; authored/edited/coordinated/distributed department proposals; and created original Microsoft Word templates. Other tasks included communicating/ coordinating tasks with project managers, authors, and reviewers and uploading documents to the SharePoint site.

Professional Blog Writer

Alberta Magazine Publishers association
20122013

One of my more enjoyable positions was blogger. I wrote, edited, and formatted the All About Members blog using SEO concepts, existing templates, and established style guides and interviewed blog subjects and communicated with interview subjects and AMPA.

Managing Editor, Fiction Editor, Poetry Editor

Other Voices journal of the literary and Visual Arts
20092012

In my favourite position to date, I managed staff, chaired monthly meetings, and coordinated issue publication including editing and formatting within existing templates and according to existing style guides. I also accepted/rejected submissions, decided on issue content and structure, and ordered layout. On top of these tasks, I was responsible for printing, distributing, marketing, planning and executing promotional events, maintaining client and stakeholder databases, communicating with clients and stakeholders, and conducting human resources tasks such as interviewing and hiring.

Research Analyst

Government of Alberta
20082012

While my role included much research, the rest included editing and formatting branch annual reports, business plans, the semi-annual client satisfaction survey, summary reports, and presentations for correctness, clarity, concision, and consistency within existing templates and using established Ministry style guides. In this position, I also wrote and edited presentations, policy documents, speeches, and briefing notes; coordinated and communicated with authors and project managers; and prepared summary reports and presentations.

Education

Bachelor of Applied Communications in Professional Writing

Grant Macewan university
20082012

In what was fondly named the PROW program, I learned everything from advertising copywriting to 'zine writing and everything in between (though my first love will always be creative writing and poetry). From press releases, corporate branding, and screenwriting to speeches, commercials, and proposals, nothing was off limits - we wrote it all, quite often on demand and for real people, real clients, and real organizations. My education was not purely theoretical, it was hands-on. And to top it off, I learned to properly edit all that writing in all those categories using a variety of style guides. I loved it so much I would go back and do it again if I could, and I earned an average GPA of 3.75 as well as a diploma in professional writing.

Portfolio

Technical editing, proofreading, reference and fact checking (just a few examples)

Portfolio

Portfolio

Professional Affiliations

  • Editors Canada
  • Canadian Freelance Guild
  • Writer's Guild of Alberta

Additional skills & Training

Magazine Intern

I learned many important skills and concepts here, such as writing for a different audience, in this case, children and families. Here, I researched/wrote/edited/formatted monthly articles according to genre style guides; conducted research and subject interviews; coordinated and communicated with article and interview subjects and project editors; and reference/fact checked articles.

Software

I regularly work with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Adobe Acrobat Pro; Photoshop; WordPress, PerfectIt Pro, and SharePoint. My degree familiarized me with Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Writing, editing, and Style Guides

I am skilled in all levels of editing with experience with many style guides including CP, Chicago, MLA, APA, EIA, and in-house style guides (including creating them).

Executive Media Training

I completed executive media training with Donoghue & Associates Inc. in 2012.

Testimonials

"Thank you!! And you deserve it! Omg, this is Amazing. I completely understand why writers always thank their editors so profusely in the acknowledgements. My gosh! You do so much work, so well and without you, books just wouldn't have the sparkle, flow and magic that is found in the finished product! I am really thrilled with your work and I really like your style. I know you love your work and it shows. I'm so glad I chose you! :) :)" - Shari Ingenika, Author of The Kingdom of Cardinia

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"Thank you so much for this. I really appreciate the time, effort and skill you put into this project! It is certainly the better for your involvement!!" - Kirsten Marion, Publisher, Common Deer Press

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“Bobbi was a complete God-send in undertaking this work at such short notice! I appreciated her support on this. She does great work and provides meaningful options/choices. I would be happy to work with her again.” – Jeremy Drought, Last Impression Publishing

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“I appreciate your time and amazing skills to help me create this book into something I have always envisioned! I am so happy I went with you to edit and help me through this process!” – Haley Macleod, poet

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"Wow!! Bobbi I love what you did with truth and fear - thank you! That’s exactly what it needed!  I loved working with you and the way your brain works sure helped me finesse some of those details! "

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I've read the final edit and ... thank you! You really helped fine-tune and make the story shine through. 
I also wanted to also thank you for taking some time to assess the story elements. It really does help to set my mind at ease and focus on illustration and printing decisions. 
This was a wonderful, stress free and rewarding experience working with you and maybe we will do this again :)

"I’d also like to tell you I finished the review and changes and must commend you on the level of detail and comments you made. I’d recommend you to anyone.  Your great at what you do!" - Gino Garafalo, young adult fantasy author

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"I have been steadily going through the edit and I have to say that you have done a great job of making me sound as if I know what i am speaking about. I like how you have really cleaned up the grammar and changed some of the sentences etc.  On the whole I am extremely happy with your work.  Truly.  I can see the incredible value of a copy editor who really cleans and smooths the MS out.  wow.  Really impressive." - Kevin Cottam, leadership author
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"I am so pleased that you are editing my writing.  It's a pleasure working with you! I love the wonderful analysis, suggestions, and lessons you give." - Peter Freeman, adult fiction and creative nonfiction author
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"Over the course of our working relationship, I have been continuously impressed by her dedication, insight, work ethic, and talent...she is an energetic, dedicated, highly-skilled writer and editor that will bring success to any literary endeavour she is involved in."  - Marc Colbourne, Other Voices President and Manager, Alberta Immigration

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“Thank you so incredibly much! Hiring you was the best decision that I made while writing this thesis. I’m beyond grateful for your help. You have put my mind completely at ease. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”  – Alicja Jazwiec, School of Geography & Earth Sciences, McMaster University

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Bobbi is definitely an expert in her field and  I would highly recommend her to be a part of your book project. The quality of her work and her timely responses have allowed me to effectively reveal the true essence of my book and meet my timelines."  - Barrington Rowe

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"I was always impressed by the quality and efficiency of her work. Knowing that she would meticulously scrutinize the document to a high standard allowed me to focus on the technical aspect of the report. Considering the volume and variety of types of reports she would face in a day, she was always consistent in the high quality she delivered, even with competing pressures of multiple looming deadlines." - Nathan Green, Hydrologist, Matrix Solutions Inc.

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“Thank you for all your help in finding my voice, and story. It has been a real treat to say the least. You were such an inspiration in the editing process!” – Alana Burton, creative nonfiction author

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“Bobbi Beatty did an amazing job on editing my children’s book. She gave me ideas that made my book make sense and was extremely professional. Within days my book was edited and revised for a great price! Easy to get a hold of and communicate with. I would recommend her for any of your editing needs and will be using her services in the future.” – Tara Severin, children’s author

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"Asking you to help write this technical report was new for me but I was happy with the result." - Gordon Dodd, Director, Alberta Infrastructure, Corporate Asset Management Program

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"She's been great to work with in both settings (employee and consultant) :) " - Sarah Monnon, Manager, Alberta Education

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"She is fantastic and I'll always give her a glowing reference!" - Beverley Stevens, Manager, Alberta Infrastructure

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"She would catch all our mistakes in the text and identified clearer and more concise ways of writing.  She was always professional and easy to work with and her attention to detail improved the quality of my reports." - Delanie Player, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Matrix Solutions Inc.

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"She consistently provided high quality editing of the documents we developed together, following the internal and client standards as required. Her communication was always prompt and professional, and she had a good sense of when to request clarification in order to streamline the editing and document generation process." - Simone Levy, Environmental Scientist, Matrix Solutions Inc.

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