In 2012, after working for seven years on the editorial side of Business Day newspaper in Johannesburg, I decided to pursue a career as a freelance editor and writer. This is what I have been doing professionally ever since.

During the confusion and disruption of the COVID years, I found myself moving into developmental editing and manuscript coaching. I find this deeper engagement with writing projects both more challenging, and more rewarding, than line-by-line editing. I also enjoy thinking things through with other people, which this work allows me to do.

I have a decades-long interest in Buddhist thought and practice, and have taught meditation both privately and in group settings. I believe the lessons of Buddhism — emphasising the importance of patience, forbearance, and compassion towards ourselves under all circumstances —can be extremely helpful to writers. The writing path, as we all know, is full of obstacles, but if we are deliberate about it, we can ‘transform all mishaps into the path of awakening’.