that little guiding voice inside, took a leap of faith, and
followed my calling: to help others share their stories. The
last ten years or so saw me editing the occasional blog post
or short story for a friend or acquaintance, with a few
full-length books tossed in for good measure. But that was
just a side gig. ‘Babysitting money.’ Something to satiate me
while I puttered away at full-time go-nowhere jobs.
Silly me, I should have known better.
I should have known long ago. I should have known back in
high school during peer editing in English class. I should
have known when I joined the Writers Circle in college. I
should have known when every single time that I thought,
‘Hey, maybe I want to focus on editing,’ a project or client
would magically appear. The Universe was pretty clear:
“Hey, girl…how about you do what you love?” But I wasn’t
ready. inspire and encourage and empower.
Now my time has come. That is why I do what I do.
The evolution of my love has finally entwined with the
evolution of my self. Over the last decade I have gathered
the experience, confidence, and network to create a
full-fledged business. I can see that, as carpenters have wood
and artists have paint, I have words. They are my toys, my
tools, my magic- the creative material with which I can
move mountains and stir souls. And all through these shifts
and changes, I have never let go of my original driving
force. Poetry was gritty on a personal level, but it was safe because
it was mine. What I do now is a more delicate process. The
stories I work with are often raw and vulnerable, and my
clients entrust me with the responsibility of helping to
shape these intimate pieces of themselves. It is an honor. It
fulfills me. Where poetry was my first love…editing is my
soulmate.
You are not alone.
When our nights are the darkest, it is a comfort to know
that someone else has been here, too…and survived…and
come out stronger… And in the times when we rise and
shout victory from the mountaintop, others will hear our
cry and take heart, and be emboldened to climb to greater
heights. No matter what we have suffered or accomplished,
I believe there is someone out there who needs to hear it.
When we share our stories, we connect and we heal; we
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Testimonials:
"Haley J Phillips is my angel. She is such a great editor and
she lets me work in a totally chaotic manner."
- Monique Alvarez
"Ms. Phillips is a lover of language and a true captain of
grammar. She can right/write any ship into calm waters and
guide whatever kind of document you’re working on to the
nearest shore. She has worked on all three of my books, and
I completely trust her to give solid feedback."
- Glen Birdsall
"I wanted to express my gratitude at what an amazing job
Haley J Phillips with Haley's Wordsmithing recently did for
me and my company Vauntify. She edited an article for us
that will be featured this month in a digital magazine. I was
thoroughly impressed with her attention to detail and her
ability to combine my words and sentiment into her
outstanding revision. She also went above and beyond to
get her edits to me quickly since we were up against a hard
deadline. Thank you so much, Haley, for your great work I
cannot wait to work with you again."
- Elisa Francis