Editing is about words. It’s about turn of phrase; about vernacular. Editing is about listening. It’s about tuning in to the story being told; about making sure the words don’t get in the way.
As an editor I must be meticulous and relentless, while being mindful not to cross the fine line between the rigours of my craft and the nuance of the author’s voice. Editing is intimate. It’s relational.
So yes, I am a Virgo. Didn’t you know about the coveted Virgo editor? Seriously, it’s a thing.
Don’t listen when they tell you to water it down, to hem it in, to tone it down, to smooth it over. Don’t believe it when they tell you that if you do, it will pave the way, will open it up, will clear the path. Take if from those of us who know first hand, who’ve tried to bend ourselves into so many stunning contortions in efforts not to offend, not to lose our jobs, not to lose our credibility, not to lose our friends, not to lose face. The time has come for us to clear our throats and speak in our Black voices to Black audiences. The time has come for us to be boldly Black in our recounting of our histories, in our producing of our work, in our shaping of our futures. Being Black is a distinct experience that produces a distinct knowledge base, that informs a distinct lens; a lens the world is calling for.
I provide writing and editing services for theses, proposals, dissertations and essays with a specialization in the fields of art and performance, education and pedagogy, music, poetry and literature, media and multimedia, folklore and mythology, esoteric and spiritual practices, yoga, psychology and anthropology, environment and ecology. I am versed in intersectional, decolonial, anti-oppression, liberationist, equity and diversity discourse with a specialization in Black studies, diasporic African intellectual, cultural and spiritual knowledges, radical imagination, critical race theory and Black feminist scholarship.
I offer a variety of services including: proofreading for typos and punctuation; line-by-line copyediting for grammar, word choice, redundancies and consistencies; and deep editing for manuscripts that require formatting, titling, rewriting and restructuring.
Over the last 24 years, I have written countless grant applications to support my arts practices. Writing has become an invaluable tool which I utilize in securing funds for my artistic endeavours, and now want to offer this service to my peers and colleagues who need support writing about their own work.
My style is direct and persuasive. I possess a broad knowledge and direct experience in art, performance, community arts and arts education, and I am versed in positioning projects with sensitivity to and with awareness of issues of equity and diversity.
Contact me at mosamcneilly@me.com
416-910-3282
Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.
C. S. Lewis
Mosa McNeilly 