https://ellenmobrien.com Ellen O'Brien Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:38 +0000 https://ellenmobrien.com en https://ellenmobrien.com/editing-1 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:35 +0000 Ellen O'Brien https://ellenmobrien.com/editing-1 editing i am an IPEd accredited editor with over five years of experience, having previously worked as:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;✮ the Editor-in-Residence for the Faber Writing Academy at Allen &amp; Unwin,&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;✮ a junior editor at the Sydney Review of Books, and&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;✮ an editor at The Writing Zone program at Western Sydney University. as a freelance editor, i have worked on projects for places like Allen &amp; Unwin, Ultimo Press, UQP, Copyright Agency, Fremantle Biennale and Powerhouse Parramatta. i have also edited judgments, journals, articles, book chapters and submissions to Parliament in my previous work in the legal world and within academia. as i’m also a writer, i am highly sensitive to how confronting and emotional the editing process can be, particularly for projects that are deeply meaningful and touch on personal topics. as such, i always treat my editing work as a conversation first and foremost, treating it as a collaborative process between writer and editor with the aim to make the project the very best it can be.&nbsp; how can i help you?do you need someone to help clarify, refine and give you feedback on a:&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮&nbsp;short work of fiction, nonfiction or poetry,&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮&nbsp;full-length work of fiction or nonfiction,&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮&nbsp;academic thesis,&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮&nbsp;business report, or&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮&nbsp;grant proposal?&nbsp; if so, there are a few ways i might be able to help. structural editing after many hours of effort, you've finally completed a first draft. now what? it might be time to get a fresh set of eyes on your writing - someone who can help you analyse your writing to determine who the audience is and ensure that your project will meet its intended purpose. this service includes: - thorough and detailed feedback on big-picture elements of your work, such as character development, pacing, plot, tone and the order and overall structure of your project - feedback on whether any additional material or rewriting is required interested? please fill out my contact form and i’ll be in touch with a quote. copyediting you've been drafting and re-drafting, and your project is starting to feel more complete. now is the perfect time for a copyeditor to provide feedback on the parts of your project that could be clarified, enhanced or otherwise improved. this is a more detailed and time-intensive service that involves: - clarifying expression and flow of text e.g. removing ambiguity, wordiness and needless repetition, and ensuring clear and logical connections between phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and sections - ensuring correct use of grammar, spelling and punctuation - ensuring appropriate use of style and tone interested? please fill out my contact form and i’ll be in touch with a quote. proofreading the finish line is in sight! you're at the final stage of your project, and now you want to make sure you've dotted every i and crossed every t. this is a quick but precise service that includes checking for: - completeness and consistency of all elements of the manuscript - correct use of grammar, spelling and punctuation - consistency in use of language, style elements and layout. interested? please fill out my contact form and i’ll be in touch with a quote. academic editing hard at work finishing your PhD or Masters' thesis? i'd be thrilled to help make the final part of your journey as stress-free as possible by copyediting or proofreading your work. given my professional history, i have a particular interest in editing legal theses, but i have experience editing theses across a number of disciplines within the arts and political sciences. this is an efficient and precise service that will ensure your thesis meets the standards of your institution and field. for more information about what this particular service entails, please consult the IPEd guidelines for editing theses. interested? please fill out my contact form and i’ll be in touch with a quote. https://ellenmobrien.com/tutoring Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:38 +0000 Ellen O'Brien https://ellenmobrien.com/tutoring tutoring i am deeply passionate about learning, not just to achieve certain results but to deepen our understanding of and our place within the world around us. as a tutor, i want to help you develop the skills required to think critically and express yourself clearly, allowing you to develop and share your unique ideas.i offer one-on-one personalised tutoring in:&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮&nbsp;essay writing (all levels) &nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ creative writing (including self-editing techniques) (all levels) &nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ year 3 - 10 english&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ HSC english&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ HSC english extension 1&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ HSC english extension 2&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ HSC legal studies&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ HSC indonesian beginners&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ university-level english &nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ university-level legal subjects (including foundations of law, criminal law, &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; torts, property and commercial law, corporations law) &nbsp; each lesson is one hour long and costs $60/hr. i mostly conduct my lessons online, but can travel to you or meet in a suitable location for a small additional fee. our lessons will include individualised activities and assessments. prior to our first lesson, i will chat with you via email about your goals for our tutoring sessions, as well as your strengths and weaknesses, so that i can make sure your lesson is personalised for you. i will also be available to assist you during the lesson with any assessments that you are currently working on. &nbsp; interested? please contact me via my contact form so we can arrange our first lesson. i look forward to learning with you! https://ellenmobrien.com/writing-1 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:35 +0000 Ellen O'Brien https://ellenmobrien.com/writing-1 writing i’ve been sharing my writing publicly for almost 10 years, starting with fledgling poems and later branching out to critical essays, film and book reviews, interviews and creative non-fiction. i am now working on my first novel, Daily Practice, the development of which has been generously funded by Creative Australia. my writing centres around themes of freedom and the relationships and dynamics between the individual and the collective. i am interested in analysing the origin and development of the structures we exist within and how we can live freely despite their constraints. in recent essays i have grappled with issues of Aboriginal representation in arts and culture, particularly literature, and what it means to be an Aboriginal writer navigating the literary industry on this continent at this time.&nbsp;ESSAYS AND CRITICISM Black Swan Way | LIMINAL Critical Mass | Sydney Review of Books Currents | Soft Stir Magazine Journey to Here | Sydney Review of Books You Have to Believe Me | Sydney Review of Books Beyond Remembering: The Role of Memorialisation in Decolonisation | un Magazine Beyond Prison | Overland Bad Taste: The Ignorance of Internet Veganism | Voiceworks BOOKSOpaque Gems: on Homecoming by Elfie Shiosaki and Don’t Take Your Love to Town by Ruby Langford Ginibi | Meanjin Surrounded by Echoes: on Tell Me Again by Amy Thunig | Meanjin Good Reading: on Love &amp; Virtue by Diana Reid | Meanjin Running to Nowhere: on Enclave by Claire Coleman | Meanjin Sparks Into Flames: on Unlimited Futures edited by Rafeif Ismail and Ellen van Neervan | Meanjin FILMTruth Be Told: Interview with Mike Leigh | The Big Issue #731 On the Road: Interview with Jub Clerc | The Big Issue #688 On You Can Go Now | The Big Issue #678On Millie Lies Low | The Big Issue #675 Your Money, My Problem: on Bodies Bodies Bodies | Kill Your Darlings On Funny Pages | MIFF Blog POETRY 'future library' and 'I touch the wound and it doesn't hurt as much as the first time' | NANGAMAY MANA DJURALI Comfort Call | Cordite Route de pain | Australian Poetry ghost talk | Politics of Listening conference ple(i)ad(e)s | Voiceworks Whitewash | Scum Mag Birds | Rabbit SCHOLARLY WORKS Schmidt, T., Damian Martin, D., Douglas, M., Mirabi, R., O’Brien, E., Shah, R., smith, V., Thomson, L., &amp; Vulcan, J. (2023). The First Thing We Make is the Conditions of our Meeting: A gathering on gathering. Performance Research, 28(2), 14-25. FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS AND PRIZES Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups Grant | Creative Australia Rosemary van den Berg Prize for First Nations Criticism - Highly Commended | Association for the Study of Australian Literature Independent Artist Grant | ArtsPay Foundation Hot Desk Fellowship | The Wheeler Centre Critics Campus | Melbourne International Film Festival Emerging Writers' Mentorship Program | Writing NSW Neilma Sidney Travel Grant | Writers Victoria IGNITE Grant | Copyright Agency Toolkits: Poetry Program | Express Media APPEARANCES festivals:✮ Sydney Writers’ Festival✮&nbsp;Emerging Writers’ Festival✮ Digital Writers’ Festival✮ Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival✮ National Young Writers’ Festival✮ Words on the Waves✮ &nbsp;Queer Provocations&nbsp; events:✮ Concordia University’s Acts of Listening Lab - Listening Tables event✮ The Wheeler Centre - the Lit Mag edition✮ NSW Writers’ Centre - Talking Writing: Classics, conventions &amp; clichés and program launch✮ Sydney World Pride - Nangamay Mana Djurali readings✮ State Library NSW - launch of Nangamay Mana Djurali✮ Leichhardt Library - in conversation with Eda Gunaydin✮ Subbed In - 3rd birthday event✮ Queeries - a LGBTIQ+ reading night podcasts:&nbsp;✮ in conversation with Gavin Ivey on outLOUD, a First Nations LGBTQIA+SB story and writing podcast&nbsp; https://ellenmobrien.com/about-me Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:36 +0000 Ellen O'Brien https://ellenmobrien.com/about-me about me <img src="https://cur.cursors-4u.net/cursor.png" border="0" alt="Orange Spinning Heart Within A Heart" style="position:absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px;"> <img width="7360" height="4912" width_o="7360" height_o="4912" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cea56028f16873e4b5043ce2b9042ce62b995744e5953a91eed8350505c72c3a/DSC_2942.jpg" data-mid="237557095" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cea56028f16873e4b5043ce2b9042ce62b995744e5953a91eed8350505c72c3a/DSC_2942.jpg" />i am a writer, tutor and IPEd-accredited editor living on Bidjigal land. i am passionate about words and the ways they bring us together, transforming our individual pain and suffering into something that can be collectively grieved, processed and turned into power. over the past decade i have pursued this passion in various ways, working as a community lawyer, writer, editor, policy officer, researcher and facilitator. i’ve worked for a bunch of different organisations, including:&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ Faber Writing Academy at Allen &amp; Unwin&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ Sydney Review of Books&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ Writing &amp; Society Research Centre (helping run The Writing Zone program)&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ Utp (facilitating the Feminist Killjoys Reading Group)&nbsp; &nbsp; ✮ Sydney Opera House (researching for the It's a Long Story podcast) i’ve also had my writing published in lots of places, including&nbsp;Sydney Review of Books, Meanjin, The Big Issue, Kill Your Darlings, LIMINAL, Overland, Cordite, Rabbit and un Magazine. to see a full list of publications, click here. in 2025, i’m working as a freelance writer, editor and tutor. i’m also spending time in the UK as part of a research trip for my first novel, Daily Practice, which has been generously funded by Creative Australia. &nbsp; photo credit: Kathy Luu https://ellenmobrien.com/current-projects Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:34 +0000 Ellen O'Brien https://ellenmobrien.com/current-projects current projects as of september 2025, i am currently working on:✮ completing a draft of my first novel, Daily Practice✮ expanding my freelance editing and tutoring practices if you’d like to contact me for paid opportunities that connect with these priorities, please fill out my contact form this page was inspired by Raelee Lancaster https://ellenmobrien.com/contact-form-1 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:24:37 +0000 Ellen O'Brien https://ellenmobrien.com/contact-form-1 contact form i am currently open for bookings from December 2025 onwards. if you would like to book my services, please fill out this form. i will then be in contact with a quote and an indication of when i can complete the service.&nbsp; what service do you require? for editing services, tell me about the project you need assistance with in 100 words or less for editing services, when will you be able to send through your manuscript? for editing services, when do you require the service to be completed? for tutoring services, when would be an ideal time for our sessions? submit form