Editor, Fact Checker, and Proofreader

Words are the greatest power we have, the bricks and mortar of our dreams. I am passionate about my work as a writer and editor — words matter.

From early childhood, I have had a passion for the innate beauty and power of the written word and an intuitive understanding of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

I spent nearly 20 years as an English teacher helping my students find their voice in their writing. I showed them how to figure out what they wanted to say and how to best say it. As a writing teacher, I appreciate the nuances of expository composition and creative writing. As a teacher of grammar, punctuation, and spelling, I am a practiced expert on the conventions of the English language with practical training in professional copy editing and proofreading.

As your editor, I will help polish your writing so your voice shines.

Testimonials

Deborah line edits with ease and precision. She has a talent for correctly restructuring a sentence without changing or losing the content or emotion of the sentence. She is a writer herself, so the combination of editing and knowing the structure of a story is invaluable.

Deborah is thorough, dedicated, and passionate about the English language. Her wit is spot on funny, and she’s delightful to work with and be around – which is an asset to any team.

She is my go-to for all grammar or punctuation questions. I trust her judgement and her recommendations. She is also the fastest turn-around editor I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

— Kathleen Fox, Director and Owner, Creative Arts of Mount Pleasant

As an activist and community organizer, anytime I have something important to say I always include Deborah. She has a keen ability to see my objective through the jumbled mess of words I send to her inbox. Deborah transforms even the most dreadful grammar into pure professionalism while keeping the original voice and style of the author. I would highly recommend Deborah to anyone looking for a copy editor. —Rebecca Guglielmo, Past President, Parenting in Portland

I trust Deborah Bernard with my writing more than anyone I know. She is quick, skilled and supportive. Through her editing, she brings clarity, accuracy and polish to my writing. I unequivocally recommend her. — Laura Halpin, Growing Health with Laura

Deborah worked as a copy editor for L.A. Currents, a digital publication about life in Los Angeles. Deborah proved to be an extremely diligent and reliable copy editor. Her work was thorough, thoughtful and consistently added insight and intellectual value to the original copy. Her fact checking was fastidious and whether it was a Q&A, a feature story or a spot news piece, she always turned things around by deadline. It was been a real pleasure to work with her, and I look forward to future collaborations.  — Peter Kiefer, Founder/Editor in Chief, L.A. Currents

I collaborated with Deborah on a weekly news magazine website. She has a keen eye and a vast knowledge of grammar. She knows when to apply the rules and when to let them slide. Also, she works incredibly quickly! She is a fabulous copy editor. — Vicky N.

Deborah is a first-class editor. She provides stellar suggestions on    ways to improve stories, and her eye for catching every grammar and punctuation error is brilliant. — Mona Espy Schreiber, author 

Deborah edited my 82,000 word manuscript (literary fiction), and I was very pleased with her finely tuned line-editing abilities. I was also in a writers’ group with Deborah in which she showed herself to be a consummate professional in providing editorial feedback for a variety of genres. — Mary Ann Henry, author, Ladies in Low Places