Hi! I am Wendy Stuart (nee Millgate), professional editor and founder of Wendy & Words and Member of the Institute of Professional Editors.
About my professional editing
As an editor, I walk with you towards accomplishing your writing and publishing goals through my customised editing and writing skills and author support. I am a detailed, intuitive and creative editor. My 12 +years of editorial experience and client engagement has provided me with the knowledge to also help with non-fiction book planning, writing and author support. I was editor of South City Bulletin, a Brisbane community and lifestyle magazine for several years, a role which also included writing lead articles.
I only accept a certain number of books per year, so that I can give my clients and their words the care and nurturing that they need, and that I need too!
It is essential to book a few months ahead for manuscript assessments and editing.
Trusted editors and publishing colleagues in the industry work collaboratively with me, so if I am unable to work on your project in your required time frame, let's still talk. I may have someone who can assist - often with me still walking alongside you as a sounding board and cheerleader - or even sharing certain stages of the editing process.
Whether it is proofreading an annual report, editing a memoir of triumph over tragedy, proofreading your academic assignment or PHD or shining a light on an inspirational message, I feel great satisfaction from being a small but crucial part of someone project and goals.
My values are honesty, humility, respect, responsibility, thoroughness, creativity and authenticity.
For aspiring book authors, your book is your baby in which you have invested your heart, time, money - your life! My goal is to help you put your best written work out there that both you and I can be proud of. My eclectic experiences in life, combined with my propensity for personal connection and empathy, means my clients and I often 'click'. This is where my 'sponge-like' mind and heart (which had made me so 'programmable' in my youth - see my future memoir!) is now a bonus as an editor. I can walk and work in my clients' shoes. Some say I get into their heads and really get their voice!
Writing and editing takes time; it's an evolutionary and sometimes emotional process. You may find you are not the same person when you start to write as when that final book is in your hands. You will evolve as your writing and book does. I will support you all the way. While I don't offer self-publishing services, I do know some providers who can help.
My most popular book manuscript genres are health & wellness, business & marketing,
self-development, religion & spirituality and life story/memoir.
Corporate/government clients include CSIRO, Arts Qld and the Qld Museum.
For government, business and academic clients, I'm noted for my attention to detail, dedication and creative input when required. I'm not shy in coming forward if I spy something that might need a little more work on your side. I'll offer you examples, if it helps. Some corporate clients engage me every year for their extensive annual reports. My goal is to support you to achieve your quality standards and keep to your deadlines. I am well versed in the Commonwealth Style Guide, Annual Reports and am flexible with time frames. I especially love working with organisations making a positive impact.
Contact me here to discuss your next project.
Read my W&W blog on writing and publishing here.
"I love working with clients, and their words, making a positive difference in our world.
It was a client who suggested my tagline Working Wonders With Words."
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About my personal life, writing and blogging on cult and domestic abuse recovery
My love of writing began in primary school. English was my favourite subject, and at 11 years old an essay I wrote on the state of the world, called "Stop the World I Want to Get Off", won first prize in a local writing competition and was published in the local newspaper. Most of my working life was spent in non-profit organisations and the corporate sector in secretarial and marketing, where my writing and editing skills were often called upon and honed. I also had a stint at a South Korean University as an Professor's Group Secretary for a year and developed their first English academic documents. In later years I studied a Diploma in Editing and Publishing, and after a decade of success as a freelance editor in Wendy & Words, I was admitted to the Institute of Professional Editors based on my experience with private editing clients .
What makes my journey unique is that at 18 years of age (I am now 58), full of disappointment in the state of the world and far away from my family, I was offered a unique vision to 'save the world'. I 'joined' what many called a 'cult'. Of course no-one chooses to join a cult. They are being recruited into an organisation that has just presented one side of itself. You choose to follow a version of a dream offered to you and a careful selection of the teachings (to find out the rest later once you're already in... part of the deception but by then the mind control has started.) I left university, my family, my career prospects and my personal freedom to follow a path that was not always easy. A path of sometimes strict control and at other times of subtle control. During my over a decade in the group, nicknamed the 'Moonies' (The Unification Church or Family Federation for World Peace), I lived all over Australia, in South Korea and the UK. I had an arranged marriage to a Frenchman, made lots of wonderful friends, had a community... but I had no private wealth or health.
I experienced sexual grooming, predatory behaviour and sexual abuse by an elder in my early years before enduring a decade of domestic abuse and volatility in my marriage. My husband and I both left the faith as our marriage dissolved. Besides being blessed with three amazing children (now young adults), my experiences have given me a grounding in life, a sense of empathy for people's unique situations, a deep sense of care, a great sense of humour, and a love of relating with people from all different walks of life and cultural and spiritual perspectives.
However, the recovery is always ongoing. Hence my blogging on the topic of cults, cult recovery, the dangers, my personal healing journey, domestic abuse and spiritual searching on my blog page. These blogs are my way to mine memories and share my studies on cults for those interested in cults and cult recovery. Topics also include domestic abuse and recovery. These blogs are forming the basis of my evolving memoir.
