It might surprise you to learn that I'm actually a Danish national, and English was not my first language. But before you panic, allow me to add that I was raised bilingual in Danish/English; I was educated partly in the UK, and got my university degree in the US. Over time, English has become my first language.
That can be a bit of an obstacle when you are writing, but is precisely what you want in an editor and proofreader.
I am also a pretty voracious reader, which is another key component in being a good editor: It helps a great deal to have seen lots and lots of writing — both good and bad.
Of course, I also have to confess that my childhood dream of growing up to "tell stories" as an adult have been somewhat hampered by the fact that I am fairly useless at developing "compelling" characters — the people I write tend to be very peaceful and happy and not plagued by the angst, anger and torment that generally makes for a fascinating protagonist.
That, however, doesn't mean that I can't determine whether or not your characters are compelling and interesting!
On Again, Off Again... On Again
In the interest of full disclosure, I used to be an Editor. When I lived in Austin, TX in the late 1980s and 1990s I created a lot of corporate newsletters and I worked for a couple of local magazines.
Subsequently, I segued into being a technical writer in the growing Central Texas IT industry, but determined that the fast paced stress wasn't a good match for my sedate temperament, so I quit writing. Completely. And instead got involved in small business consulting and network marketing.
Around 2005-ish, an opportunity opened up for me to be associate editor at now defunct Tribe Magazine, a niche publication in the field of psychology. Unfortunately, the magazine went away when the owner battled cancer.
Since then, I have been doing freelance editing only, 100% by referral.
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