Open for Business: Elsass Editing

Over the past year I have taken on a great deal of copy editing work, both inside and outside of my office job, and discovered it’s something that I have a knack for and also really enjoy doing.

So much in fact, that I considered this a green light to myself for launching my first ‘real’ business venture: Elsass Editing.

While I have made some money off of my books, this kind of freelance work is refreshingly enjoyable, as the interaction with customers is much more personal. The feedback is immediate and I get to plainly hear what my clients like and what I can do better.

I of course love writing and will do so until the day I die, but I recently had the epiphany that I more enjoy contributing to others’ successes as opposed to being in the limelight for myself. In youth soccer, defense was my position of choice, I played a low brass instrument in band, and now, I take pride in improving other people’s writing.

Taking someone’s draft and getting to mold it into something they are proud to turn in or show off gives me the best feeling in the world, and I genuinely love doing it. I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, as I was the kid in college that would volunteer to look at my roommate’s essays.

Currently my focus is going to be on articles, blog posts, research papers, resumes, and cover letters. My skills as a practiced researcher are also for hire. And for now, the first thirty minutes of work on any kind of project will be absolutely free, just to make sure my input is deemed helpful.

In addition to my corporate experience with the craft, I am also currently completing the Poynter University/American Society of Copy Editors Certificate in Editing.

I have also done a few odd copy writing jobs, which have also been great experiences and something I might take on more of in the future, but for now my focus is going to be on growing the editing side of the business. Eventually I will probably brand Elsass Editing into its own thing outside of this site, but for now it will all live on the landing page here.

So if you or anyone you know needs something they’ve written polished up, pass my name along–the family and friends discount is considerable.

My Favorite Word

Every writer has to have to have one, right?

My favorite word in the English language is esoteric. Enlighten us, Webster:

es•o•ter•ic (esəˈterik): designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone

requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group; limited to a small circle 

I first read this word (or at least wondered what it meant) on a trip down the YouTube rabbit hole several years ago. For some reason, I ended up looking at covers of “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind, a 90s classic and karaoke favorite of mine.

I stumbled across a clip of a group of friends in a darkened living room all standing in a huddle, jumping, singing, and completely losing themselves in the song. For whatever reason, I was moved enough to leave a comment, probably just something along the lines of “that looked like a ton of fun”.

The video’s uploader replied a few days later saying, “Thanks- it was a very esoteric moment for all of us :)”

I don’t know if the video was documenting a group of friends after high school graduation, a college spring break trip, or a home-for-the-holidays reunion, but after looking up “esoteric” it was clear this was the perfect word to describe their moment.

The clip has since been taken down, but the video and the word have stuck with me. As I write more and more, I have realized that it has always been my goal (whether conscious or not) to write things that have a kind of esoteric appeal. Things that people in my generation will relate with, things they possibly thought only they experienced.

Despite how much research I do, I will never be able to fully describe what it was like to live through American prohibition, San Francisco in the 60s, or the London punk scene in the 1970s as well someone who was there.

However, I can describe in great detail what it was like to grow up with the internet, the energy of a mid-2000s underground pop punk show, and the enjoyment of a night drive with your best friends through a sea of developing suburbs.

While some of those may (currently) not be the most glamorized tropes in pop culture, when they are described correctly, they are no less meaningful to those who were there. And if written well enough, they can become almost as meaningful to someone who wasn’t.

Inside jokes, the funny memories and one-liners that will forever be tied to a particular friend, the songs that are anchored to a specific time in your life. . .all esoteric experiences, unique to the select few who were around. To me, the best art bridges this esotericism and makes the reader feel like they were there in that moment, even when they weren’t.

Ever try enthusiastically describing a special moment to someone not involved, only to find that they aren’t even remotely as amused or interested as you are? What do you say to save face?

“You just had to be there.”

What is your favorite word, and why?