April-Lyn Caouette

Hello! I’m April-Lyn Caouette. I have twelve years of experience in digital and traditional publishing and have worked as a developmental editor, managing editor, and copy editor in a range of genres and writing styles.

My goal with editing is always to start with "What did the writer say?" and to move closer, step by step, to "What did the writer mean to say?" Ideally, this requires close collaboration between editor and writer to make the necessary changes to word choice, structure, tone, style, and more, along with grammar, punctuation, and word economy to make writing clear and concise. When this close collaboration is not possible, I use my best understanding of the writer's style and intent to craft an edited document that still carries the author's intended style and tone while clarifying and adding impact.

Words can take you places that pictures alone never could. But improperly-crafted words can also leave you in a daze of confusion. Every piece of writing carries a message, and my goal is to make sure the final message that's shared is both as close as possible to what the author meant to convey and positioned for maximum effectiveness.

When I'm not crafting with words, you'll find me crafting with yarn as a knitter and crocheter, scratching my head over a strategy board game with friends, reading, or trying my hand at a brand new skill or activity (I "joke" that one of my hobbies is collecting hobbies). I also collect fountain pens and spend more money than I should trying out new foods at Disneyland.