Lucy Edits: I have 15 years experience in newspaper and magazine journalism. I am an expert in the style established by the Associated Press that now guides a majority of American newspapers. I edit everything: newspapers, magazines, newsletters, corporate reports, brochures, letters to customers, memos to staff, dissertations, novels, cereal boxes. If you can put your thoughts on paper or express them to me, I can tighten and polish them to give your words their greatest impact.

Many people say they cannot write. I believe everyone can. If you can speak, you can write. If you have a thought or a story or a message to share, you can design a powerful thesis and write a dynamic document. What you need is a good editor. Think of some good writing you've read, whether in a book, a newspaper story, a magazine article, or even in an advertisement. All those writers had an editor to help them get focused, stay focused and get creative.

This process works for any sort of writing, from novels to interoffice memos. A 200-word memo is often more difficult to write clearly than a 20,000-word thesis. Mark Twain is often quoted as remarking: "I wanted to write a short letter but I didn't have time." It's true.

My skill, honed through a decade in a newspaper newsroom, is in taking a topic, researching it until I understand it, and synthesizing the information into clear, concise prose. As an editor, I can help you do the same. If you have just begun to gather your thoughts, I can help you crystallize your message and save countless hours on distracting tangents. If you have written thoughts down but don't know what to do next, I can help you focus. If your writing is complete, I can proofread it for content, logic and style. Together, we can make your finished product shine.

Lucy Writes: I am an award-winning reporter and columnist. I have written thousands of news articles, feature stories and columns on topics ranging from city council meetings to the Democratic National Convention, from young entrepreneurs to erupting volcanoes. In so doing, I have interviewed thousands of people including politicians, executives, teachers and scientists, criminals and victims, and regular folks. I can research and write anything. Want to author a guest column for the New York Times? I can convey your opinion convincingly and concisely. I also have written some fiction, though I've not submitted anything for publication.

Lucy Translates: Raised in a Canadian family, I am fluent in French and can translate French to English. I spent four months translating reports for Reporters Sans Frontiers, a France-based organization that monitors press freedom around the world. Beyond French, I can clean up documents translated from any language to include the nuances of the English language.

I also have basic knowledge of the Hawaiian language, having spent a year living and working in Hanalei, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai.

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