Sunday 20 December 2015

Say yes.



In late November, a friend recommended me as a proofreader to a friend of hers who is doing her PhD. Would I be interested in proofreading her thesis, 90,000-plus words by 31 December?

At the time I was elbow-deep in finishing my studies for the year, proofreading a short story for a friend ... oh, as well as that small matter of my day job.

I gulped a bit. And then I said yes. Because it felt right. Because I knew I'd always wonder "what if?" if I turned it down.

Not long after I'd started the project I came across this quote by Richard Branson, and I thought it described my situation perfectly.

When I started I didn't know if I could proofread a PhD thesis. I'm a student - I still have a lot to learn. I've never proofread such a long document. Any PhD candidate is going to be extremely fussy about their work, and who can blame them when they've laboured over it for so long? This particular thesis had already been extensively edited before it reached me, so I have to read it very carefully to find the mistakes.

I'm coming towards the end of the project now, and I'm so glad I followed Richard Branson's advice. I have learned more from this one project than from four months of study.

I've learned that I can proofread a PhD thesis, and I can do a good job.

I've learned about the importance of time management.

I've learned how to keep a style sheet. I learned this in my studies, but it didn't sink in until I had to keep a style sheet for real.

I've learned about the importance of communicating with a client.

I've learned the difference between "long term" and "long-term"!

Most importantly, I've learned that the small, persistent voice that urges me to say yes to this thing that is way out of my comfort zone probably knows what it's talking about.

Anne-Marie x