Mrs Heather Musk

Membership Grade
Professional Member

About Heather

About

Hi! I’m Heather and I’m here to help writers. I’m a qualified proofreader, working primarily in the science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction genres, but with added interest in genres such as horror, mystery and even a bit of romance. (Well, we all love a bit of romance, don’t we?)

I proofread to check spelling, punctuation and grammar, as well as looking at elements of consistency in the story structure and flow. My aim is to polish your text with my proofreading duster to remove any distractions so that your writing and story shine through and are a pleasure to read.

As a writer myself, I know how hard it can be to hand over your baby to someone for any kind of assessment, but you can rest easy knowing that it’s in good hands. It will be given the patience and respect it deserves and treated with sensitivity to your voice and style. After all, you are the writer, I’m just on the periphery, offering guidance on the technical bits and cheering you on with the creative bits..

I’m a fully qualified proofreader and Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). I have a BA (Honours) in Literature from the Open University, which includes creative writing modules, so you know I have the knowledge and skills to work confidently on your story.

Training and qualifications

Introduction to Fiction Editing (2022, CIEP)

How to Mark-up PDF Proofs (2021, Denise Cowle)

Word for Practical Editing (2021, CIEP)

Mentoring Scheme (2018, SfEP)

Introduction to Copy-editing (2017, SfEP)

Basic Proofreading course (2016, The Publishing Training Centre)

Introduction to Proofreading (2015, SfEP)

SfEP*/CIEP Annual Conference (2017*, 2018*, 2020, 2021)

BA English Literature (2018, The Open University)

BSc Science (Open) (2012, The Open University)

Media and genre

Media

  • Books
  • Novellas
  • Short stories

Genres

  • Science fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Speculative fiction
  • Horror
  • Romance
  • Humour
  • Adventure

testimonials

Heather works for me on proofreading my stories for podcast for Stumpy Sanderson’s 1970s Stories.

As soon as I sent her some initial drafts and examples, I knew immediately that I had found just the right person to work with. Heather immediately ‘tuned in’ to the style and voice I use and need for these stories, which is quite specific, as even though these stories are written, they are written to be spoken, which is sometimes a very different discipline.

Her proofreading is fantastic, and she brilliantly makes all the necessary grammar and style corrections needed. She also makes recommendations for me, which help enormously.

Always delivering when promised, totally reliable and efficient, I am so glad I use Heather. Moving forward, I have loads of other writing ideas bubbling, and I will definitely be using Heather to help with and work on these.

Simply super service!


Andrew Brammer - Commercial Director and Storyteller



Service(s)

Disclaimer note

The CIEP Directory of Editorial Services should be considered a point of first contact and prospective clients must satisfy themselves that members are capable of the work on offer. The Institute cannot be held responsible for the quality of work provided by any member listed in the directory. The members themselves are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of their entries in the Directory and the CIEP has not made any attempt to vet them. The institute cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the Directory. Inclusion in the Directory as a freelance does not necessarily mean that the member is self-employed as defined by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.