Satima's Blogspot: What I do

What I do

Sunday, September 25, 2011 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

I write and I edit. I'm an astrologer. I teach meditation.

If you're looking for someone to do any of these things, please Contact me to discuss your requirements. Or if you want more info first, read on!

Want to know more?

Editing

In fiction, my main strength is traditional fantasy. Bring on the elves and dragons! I also undertake works in other genres occasionally, especially Young Adult SF and historicals. I am also available to edit theses and other academic papers and other non-fiction of all kinds. For more info, scroll down or Contact me.

Writing

I write fantasy for fun, and I will write non-fiction for money:-). My commissions are usually astrology reports or family histories, but I'm open to other things! Still want more info? Scroll down! Or Contact me.

Astrology

I rarely counsel clients these days, but I enjoy writing natal reports and what I call "lifetime" reports, which are based on the Saturn cycle and give a good overview of what to expect at different times over a lifespan. For more info, scroll down or Contact me.

Meditation

I am available to give workshops in this valuable life skill. For more info, scroll down or Contact me.

Still need more info?

Getting started with editing

Send me a synopsis of your book and the first fifty pages (or to the nearest scene break) and after reading them, I'll let you know if I think the work is ready for editing. I don't encourage people to sign up for editing too early because they'd be wasting their money. If I think that's the case I'll offer you a mini-assessment, in which I'll give you some ideas to work on. A mini-assessment costs only S85.00. But be quick, because this special price won't last forever! (Some editors charge three times that for a similar service.)

On the other hand, if I think your work is ready for editing, I will edit approximately ten percent of it, up to ten pages or 3,500ww, whichever is the less, completely free. This will enable us to see if we're a good match, and it also helps me to give you an estimated cost for editing the entire ms. If you've already had a mini-assessment of the same material I will discount the price of a full edit by $25.00.

The 10% offer applies to non-fiction as well. For example, if you have a one-hundred-page academic paper, I will edit ten pages or 3,500 words, whichever is the less, completely free and without obligation, before giving you a quote for the full edit.

If I don't think I'm the right editor for your particular kind of writing, I'll tell you so at once, and if I can, I'll suggest another editor you might approach.

I prefer to be paid via PayPal or, if you live in Australia, by direct payment into my bank account.

You can sign up or ask any questions here

Special offer for new astrology clients

If you'd like a taste of the fascinating information in your natal horoscope, send me your place, date and time of birth. (Sorry - I only do horoscopes for which this information is known - without a time of birth the horoscope is too unreliable.)

You can sign up here. Please note, though, that this offer is for new clients only.

A bit about me

As well as writing, editing, astrology and meditation, other favourite activities of mine include house-sitting for friends (and looking after their pets), yoga and belly dancing. I attend Speculative Fiction conventions, belong to several writers groups, Western Australia's Society of Editors (SOEWA) and the Perth Shakespeare Club. I blog on all these topics at my Blogspot.

My experience

From a background in the performing arts, principally dance and music, I switched to writing in these areas in 1987. I have written reviews and feature articles for various prestigious publications including ArtsWest, Dance Australia, Music Maker and The Australian. I am currently Reviews Editor for The Specusphere, an e-zine for the Speculative Fiction community that features book reviews and articles about fantasy, sci-fi, horror and more. I also review theatre for ArtsHub.

A decade or so back I was bitten by the fantasy bug and I have just about written the million words they say you have to write before you are any good. Any morning now I will wake up to find that I’m as good as some of my favourite authors. (Well, I can dream, can’t I?

My bits of paper

I hold a BA in Religious Studies, an Associate Diploma in Performing Arts (Dance) and the certificate of the Federation of Australian Astrologers. For what it’s worth, I also have a Certificate in Rural Studies – I’m the only person I know who’s been both a ballet teacher and a pig farmer!

And how did this strange combination make me into an editor? Click here to find out! If you're interested in having me edit something for you, find out more here.

More about my editing - fiction

As well as being an editor, I am a well-practised beta-reader, slush reader, and critic of speculative fiction. Currently, I am a sub-editor for The Specusphere, an e-zine for the Speculative Fiction community, and I read slush for ASIM. Historical fiction and high fantasy are my specialist sub-genres, but I do sometimes edit or proof-read books in other areas of fiction writing.

More about my editing - non-fiction

Since the boom in self-publishing, most of my work is editing speculative fiction, but in the past, much of my editing work has come from academics, especially PhD students, and I am still available for such commissions. I will also research, write or edit other non-fiction work, especially reviews, biographies and family and local histories. I pride myself on having a broad general knowledge, and have edited in areas ranging from the arts (both performing and visual) through to Physiotherapy, Law, Business Studies, IT, Women’s Studies and even an occasional Engineering effort. See my web site for more details.

More about my writing

I don't write fiction for money, although I'd like to. :-) I write because stories have come to live with me. But since we're here, let me tell you how I came to start writing fiction.

I was already well-published in non-fiction when I went overseas in 1995, but I hadn't written any fiction since I was in primary school. The story of my three-and-a-half years of travel and work in other lands is a whole nother yarn to spin, but suffice it to say here that as part of my brief to Get to Know my Country of Birth, I took a job as housekeeper in a hotel in North Devon, England. It was hard work, but not terribly mentally challenging, and I would finish each day with sore feet and a sore back, ready to veg out in front of the TV.

But one day, just as I was about to turn on Coronation St (or was it East Enders? Those two are forever inextricably linked in my mind) a sentence popped into my head. "To be left a widow at the age of twenty-one may sound like a tragedy," it ran, "but to be honest, I felt liberated by Reyel's death."

I knew it was the start of an SF novel. Not one I'd already read, but a new one! My very own book! I grabbed paper and pen and began to write. I missed my TV shows that night, and the next day I bought an exercise book and a new pen. Night after night I would rush home, plonk myself on the bed and continue the adventures of a girl named Kryshli who was sold into slavery and travelled around the world - her world - as a result.

It took me seven years to write that book, on and off, and of course it was not very good. First novels seldom are, and let's face it, second third and fourth ones are often not very good either. But I had a lot of fun writing it, and I learnt a lot. When I returned to Australia three years later, I joined writers groups and started going to workshops and conventions to meet like-minded people, for writing is a lonely craft, one that non-writers cannot usually comprehend. To remind ourselves that what we are doing is a perfectly good way to live, we need the support of people who can not only understand our passion but also help us improve. A lot of writers, far better at the craft than I, gave me encouragement and support, so now I am eager to help other writers to better their skill. You will, therefore, read a lot about SF reading, writing and editing on my blog and on my posts at Egoboo, a blog I share with four good writing buddies.

More about my meditation

I have been a meditator for over 20 years and have had the privilege of sitting with some of the world's finest teachers, including Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Saltzberg, Jack Kornfield and Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. For over ten years I worked with Eric Harrison of the Perth Meditation Centre and in 2007 Eric awarded me a special teacher's certificate. After so much excellent tuition and practice, I feel well qualified to teach meditation as a method of relaxation and self-awareness, and am available to give private lessons and to lead workshops or short courses. I can visit your workplace or yoga school or other institution. Contact me to discuss your requirements.

Fun things

I am lucky. I enjoy what I do. I love reading, writing and editing, and in the course of my life, I've gained a portfolio of skills and lots of general knowledge that feed well into my editing work. When I'm not engaged in reading, writing, reviewing or editing, you are likely to find me on Facebook, playing Scrabble and other word games.

If you go to my web site you will see links to pages on family history, astrology, meditation and belly dancing. I have a fair bit of family history info there - if this is one of your passions, too, take a look and see if we are related! And don't forget you can contact me here.

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