In the latest Dave Chat, I sit down with Sofia Matias – writer, editor, and proofreader all in one! That’s a lot of things to cover in one chat, but it’s fascinating how those separate things are balanced and managed – I’m not sure I could keep on top of it all, if I’m honest! Being able to find out more about how Sofia keeps all this going is really insightful, and if you’re thinking of making similar steps, you can get an idea of just what’s involved.
Not only that, but there’s a great tip for your own writing that you should remember when it comes to the editing stage!
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Hey Sofia, thanks for taking the time to chat to me.
Hi Dave! Thank you for having me.
You’re a writer, editor and proofreader – that’s a lot to be doing! Where did your journey first begin?
I know, I like to keep myself busy! My journey as a writer is nearly as old as me; I remember having a bright pink Barbie notebook I would write little stories on as soon as I learned how to put words together.
There’s a story I like to tell people about how my parents once got a concerned note from one of my teachers because I’d written a story in class about a couple that got stranded on a desert island, and one died of a venomous snake bite and the other of grief (that’s all I can remember from it. Lost writers, eat your hearts out). I definitely write much cheerier stuff now!
That’s quite the story! What are you working on at the moment? Can we expect to see your stories out there in the near future?
I am currently working on a YA urban fantasy novel that I would love to expand into a series. It is a modern retelling/continuation of my favourite Egyptian myth, and I am having the best time infusing my love of Egyptian mythology into a modern setting, and writing a protagonist that is (nearly) as geeky as me. It’s going through some structural work right now, but querying it to agents is definitely in the horizon.
That sounds really interesting – I’m definitely curious to find out more. Do you have any big influences or writers you’d like to emulate – or even surpass one day?
This is a great question. I find that mediums other than books also influence my writing a lot, like music and film. Film, especially, since I have a condition called aphantasia, which means I can’t visualise things in my head, really helps me see stories come to life and it’s one of my favourite things to take inspiration from.
As for authors, Kiersten White is one of my favourites. I’ve been reading her work since her debut novel and the way she can consistently write incredible books across different genres and target audiences is something that I would love to achieve one day.
On the other side, how did you become an editor? Was it always a part of your plan to make this business?
It was kind of the plan I had in mind, but not exactly! I always knew that, even outside of my dreams of becoming an author, working with books was one of my goals. Unfortunately, working within the book publishing industry didn’t pan out for me as I realised that I wasn’t as willing to relocate to London as I’d thought I was, so I had a bit of a lateral move and worked in magazine publishing for a while.
Then, the pandemic hit. I’d been considering starting an editing business for some time at that point, but I used the excuse of having a full-time job to not take that plunge. Well, becoming unemployed definitely threw that out of the window! So, I finally dedicated all my energy into starting my writing, editing and proofreading business, and I’ve loved it ever since.
That’s great to hear. Since you edit other people’s work, does that help when editing and proofing your own writing, or do/would you still look for a fresh set of eyes to help you improve your writing?
It has definitely changed the way I look at my own work now, for sure. As I started my business I did a lot of professional training, which really improved the knowledge I already had when it comes to that “polishing” aspect of writing, and even the knowing of what works or doesn’t in a book.
On the other hand, working on other people’s writing has also taught me how to more easily look at a manuscript in a “factual” way, instead of being held back by doubt and all those pesky emotions that you tend to get when working on your own stories. It’s very easy to be insecure about what you write, so I try to take that more clinical way of looking at a manuscript into my own revision and editing process.
That being said, I still definitely look to others for that fresh perspective, and seeing how much my clients trust me with their own work also gives me that extra confidence to share mine with others.
Do you find editing and proofing other stories gets in the way of your own writing? How do you balance your time?
This has definitely been my toughest challenge since I started my business. Having an editing business and another job alongside it (and a dog that loves my attention) does not leave me with much time for my own creative work, and this is something that I am still working on finding a balance for.
It’s definitely a case of finding what works for you. For example, that big “write every day” advice you see everywhere? Does not work for me. AT ALL. Which makes my writing process more difficult, because I can’t just say “I will write from this time to this time every day” and be done with it.
My aim now is to try to have that scheduled time, but make it “writing or writing-adjacent time”. So, if I feel like I can write, I will write, but if not, I will do research, work on my outline, do something that still progresses my writing in some way and does not make me feel as pressured into having to write if my brain just isn’t there. I will let you know if that works!
You must have read a lot of stories. Is there one thing you spot over and over that budding writers should watch out for in their work?
Filter language is something that I tend to see the most, even in work that is already published (so definitely not something that you should feel guilty for if you do use it!) and it is one of the things that is easiest to fix.
Filter language is when, probably without realising it, a writer increases the distance between the reader and what is happening in the story. You know the other big writing advice you see a lot, “show, don’t tell”? Filter language is one of the main culprits of “telling”.
So, look through your manuscript for things like “saw”, “thought”, “felt”, “heard”. Saying that your character “heard the chirping of birds outside” is definitely not as enveloping as saying that “the chirping of birds filled the air”, for example. You want your reader to feel like they are in the story with the characters, and looking out for this kind of filter wording is one easy way to accomplish that.
That’s a great shout – and something I need to watch out for myself! What would you say is harder? Writing your own stories or editing the manuscripts people send you?
Without a doubt, writing my own stories. Writing is incredibly difficult, and reaching that “The End” in a manuscript is absolutely the hardest step in the path to having a book published. When a new book comes into my inbox needing editing or proofreading, all that hard work has already been done! All I do is help make it be the best possible version of itself it can be. And, like I said earlier, it’s too easy to be critical of your own writing.
When I work on my client’s stories, I know what my purpose and what I should focus on is when I start, so I don’t get distracted with all the other things you usually have in your mind during the writing process.
Where can people find you to find out more about your writing, and the services you offer?
If you would like to learn more about me and what I do, my website is www.sofiabmatias.com, which also has links to all my socials. My inbox is always open, so also feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions!
Thanks for chatting, Sofia – it’s really interesting to learn more about the other areas involved in writing stories and books. Best of luck for the future!
Thank you so much Dave, this was great!