Editorial Freelancers Association
Member Profile
James Roger Newcomer
NewcomerEdits
What Would it Take to Make You the Best Writer You Can Be?
If you are writing a Memoir or Literary Fiction, I will support your work from first draft to completed MS, guiding you toward writing a structured story arc that will hold your readers’ attention and reward them with satisfaction when they get to the end. I work as a developmental editor and a line editor as well as a writing coach.
I can show you how to craft a lead and an inciting incident that hook the reader. I can help you polish your writing so that it tells your story clearly, builds from one scene to the next, and gets the attention it deserves. And I know the requirements for academic writing; I have written a successful dissertation and a successful book proposal.
Sometimes over the long haul as an author shapes a story from first draft to the next and the next, I have also acted as writing coach, cheerleader, nag, and chief nudger, as I like to call it. When the first burst of enthusiasm begins to fade, a coach can make the difference between success and quitting after the first few chapters.
I have also done copy editing on several books for a major publisher, ranging from language textbooks (Chinese) to comparative law to an academic anthology — plus developmental editing of global warming topics. Along those lines, I am expert in transforming articles written in English by non-native (especially Chinese and Vietnamese) writers into flawless, native English to make the author successful.
Rich, Varied Background, Competent in Many Fields
Yes, I was an English major (at Princeton). Since then I have been a diplomat, a professor, and an entrepreneur. I have lived in Asia as well as in New York and Washington, D.C., the mid-west, and the West Coast. During the Vietnam era while working on my Ph.D. in international politics at Stanford and then as a professor of International Relations, my participation in the anti-war movement shortened my academic career. I had been a translator in the Army (Chinese), and as Foreign Service Officer I had served as Executive Assistant to our Ambassador in Taipei and read the classified cables that we received from Saigon. I had earned an MA in Asian Studies (Columbia University). I knew what I was protesting about.
Later I had various careers as an entrepreneur: a consultant in international trade, a printer, the executive director of a state recycling association, a manufacturer of wood floors (from reclaimed timbers), an adjunct professor of sustainable business, and a consultant in creating sustainable businesses. I served on city commissions (in Portland, Oregon) on welcoming international visitors, preparations for peak oil, and our local Climate Action Plan. I was Chair of the Portland-Suzhou Sister Committee and a member of The Natural Step, a business organization for sustainability.
As an adjunct professor of sustainable business in an MBA program, I learned from my students that no one had ever critiqued their papers closely or offered editing to help them improve without demeaning them, making them wrong. They were eager to improve their writing, and I enjoyed showing them how. Gradually, my concern for good writing morphed into becoming a developmental editor.
What That Means For You
My point: I work from a wide background and a broad understanding of sophisticated writing as it applies to translation, business, literature, sustainability and climate change, and ultimately, all of life. At the same time I approach writing as an art – one that can be taught.
In academic writing I respect and maintain the highest academic standards while keeping the writing clear and easy to understand. (Think how how much better sociology would be today if Talcott Parsons had written short sentences in clear prose.)
As a promoter of my own startup businesses I learned to write short, punchy copy and make sure I grabbed the reader’s attention by stating the important things first – in the headline.
Through it all, I work with the assumption that you, my client, are smart, talented, and qualified. My job is to clear away the obstacles that might prevent the rest of the world from knowing that.
I look forward to working with you so that you write your best work: flawless, clear, readable, and effective – and on time. That promise includes meeting deadlines and being readily available for consultation whenever the need arises.
Lake Oswego, OR
US
Cell phone: 5033519330
Email: jim@newcomeredits.com
Years in the field: 5
Years freelancing: 5
James Newcomer
Member at Large
What Would it Take to Make You the Best Writer You Can Be?
If you are writing a Memoir or Literary Fiction, I will support your work from first draft to completed MS, guiding you toward writing a structured story arc that will hold your readers’ attention and reward them with satisfaction when they get to the end. I work as a developmental editor and a line editor as well as a writing coach.
I can show you how to craft a lead and an inciting incident that hook the reader. I can help you polish your writing so that it tells your story clearly, builds from one scene to the next, and gets the attention it deserves. And I know the requirements for academic writing; I have written a successful dissertation and a successful book proposal.
Sometimes over the long haul as an author shapes a story from first draft to the next and the next, I have also acted as writing coach, cheerleader, nag, and chief nudger, as I like to call it. When the first burst of enthusiasm begins to fade, a coach can make the difference between success and quitting after the first few chapters.
I have also done copy editing on several books for a major publisher, ranging from language textbooks (Chinese) to comparative law to an academic anthology — plus developmental editing of global warming topics. Along those lines, I am expert in transforming articles written in English by non-native (especially Chinese and Vietnamese) writers into flawless, native English to make the author successful.
Rich, Varied Background, Competent in Many Fields
Yes, I was an English major (at Princeton). Since then I have been a diplomat, a professor, and an entrepreneur. I have lived in Asia as well as in New York and Washington, D.C., the mid-west, and the West Coast. During the Vietnam era while working on my Ph.D. in international politics at Stanford and then as a professor of International Relations, my participation in the anti-war movement shortened my academic career. I had been a translator in the Army (Chinese), and as Foreign Service Officer I had served as Executive Assistant to our Ambassador in Taipei and read the classified cables that we received from Saigon. I had earned an MA in Asian Studies (Columbia University). I knew what I was protesting about.
Later I had various careers as an entrepreneur: a consultant in international trade, a printer, the executive director of a state recycling association, a manufacturer of wood floors (from reclaimed timbers), an adjunct professor of sustainable business, and a consultant in creating sustainable businesses. I served on city commissions (in Portland, Oregon) on welcoming international visitors, preparations for peak oil, and our local Climate Action Plan. I was Chair of the Portland-Suzhou Sister Committee and a member of The Natural Step, a business organization for sustainability.
As an adjunct professor of sustainable business in an MBA program, I learned from my students that no one had ever critiqued their papers closely or offered editing to help them improve without demeaning them, making them wrong. They were eager to improve their writing, and I enjoyed showing them how. Gradually, my concern for good writing morphed into becoming a developmental editor.
What That Means For You
My point: I work from a wide background and a broad understanding of sophisticated writing as it applies to translation, business, literature, sustainability and climate change, and ultimately, all of life. At the same time I approach writing as an art – one that can be taught.
In academic writing I respect and maintain the highest academic standards while keeping the writing clear and easy to understand. (Think how how much better sociology would be today if Talcott Parsons had written short sentences in clear prose.)
As a promoter of my own startup businesses I learned to write short, punchy copy and make sure I grabbed the reader’s attention by stating the important things first – in the headline.
Through it all, I work with the assumption that you, my client, are smart, talented, and qualified. My job is to clear away the obstacles that might prevent the rest of the world from knowing that.
I look forward to working with you so that you write your best work: flawless, clear, readable, and effective – and on time. That promise includes meeting deadlines and being readily available for consultation whenever the need arises.
