I am Katharine Valentino, owner of Setting Forth–on a Literary Itinerary. Have you been wanting to write something but are not sure how to go about it? Or have you begun the writing process but got bogged down somewhere? You want to be clear and compelling. You want content that will connect with your readers. You may just want to make sure you have all the semicolons in the right places and a book or website you can be proud of, or you may want help throughout the designing, writing, editing and publishing processes.
If you have not yet begun the writing process, you can dictate to me. I’ll type what you say as you say it, asking you questions about anything that isn’t clear or that might be expanded to make it more interesting. Together, we can find the best way to say exactly what you want to say.
If you’ve already written something, I can work as an editor for you, reviewing it for correct English grammar and punctuation and to ensure that it is says what you want it to say in the way you want to say it.
I can take care of formatting your work for book or online publishing, including inserting illustrations. I can also create a personal or business website for you along with a Facebook page and publish for you on Amazon and other book-publishing sites. There is no extra charge for publishing.
I have more than two decades of experience as a newspaper reporter and managing editor; a magazine features writer; a technical communicator; a memoir writer and editor; an article, blog and poetry editor; and a book publisher. Many years ago, I attained a bachelor’s degree in journalism “with high distinction” from Indiana University at Bloomington, then one of the five best journalism schools in the country. Later, during a decade when I worked at IBM, I was awarded joint IBM/Brainbench master’s level certifications in Written English and English vocabulary. I also have additional accreditations in technical writing and in information management. I am a member of the International Association of Professional Writers & Editors.
Recently, I was the owner and editor of the online literary magazine Setting Forth–on a Literary Itinerary, which published short fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry by writers in and near Eugene, Oregon. I discontinued the magazine in late 2017 but kept the name and kept right on editing literary works and creating websites for clients. Now, I work mostly part time on projects that interest me. When I’m inspired, I write, usually creative nonfiction.