• Skip to main content

    Languawitchery Wordcraft

    UK-based Non-fiction Freelance Copyeditor, Proofreader and Writer

    • Rates
    • Qualifications
    • Privacy
    • Terms
      • E-mail
      • Instagram
      • LinkedIn
      • Twitter
    • Home
    • Services
    • Testimonials
    • About
    • Blog
    • Contact

    Welcome to Languawitchery Wordcraft

    14 August 2022 · branding, Freelancer well-being, Uncategorized · 1

    Who, what and why is Languawitchery Wordcraft?

    That’s a very good question.

    Having traded as a freelancer under the name of Anya Hastwell Editorial since October 2014, a couple of years ago the name had begun to feel old-fashioned and clunky: a perfectly functional name, yes – but burnt-out and lacking in imagination.

    Which is rather how I was feeling at the time.

    A variety of factors (a health scare, plague lockdowns, and embarking on a Master’s degree in Creative Writing with all of its associated vulnerability hangovers) all marinated together in a gigantic cauldron of contemplation, which led to this decision for a name change and a brand-new website. 

    Putting some psychological distance between myself and what I do for a living was a major factor, too. If you’re also a conscientious freelance editor who once worked in-house, you’ll know that sometimes you need a reminder that you’re the one in charge of your working time and you’re the only one responsible for your own well-being.

    That is – you’ve got to give yourself a break sometimes! Because now there’s no one else who can make you.

    So… after a discussion with an independent branding expert to weigh things up, followed a lot of backend DIY website tweaks, Languawitchery Wordcraft came to be.

    It’s a play on words, obviously.

    Yes, editing is a serious business – but as my business is me, and I am my business, while I’m not using my birth name it’s important that it still feels like me. 

    And I’ve been thinking about how words are surely nothing less than tools of magic:

    • The words of a novel can create worlds of the imagination for a reader to escape to that feel just as real as this one.
    • Words in advertising can persuade and convince a person to buy a product (or not).
    • Words of poetry or song lyrics evoke emotion and can pack a punch to the heart harder than any fist.
    • Words of online bullying hurt people (to put it mildly) and we all know that social media is full of people who could benefit from having a lot more empathy – both giving and receiving.

    So it seems the old saying by playwright
    Edward Bulwer-Lytton is true: the pen is mightier than the sword.
    But we must remember that well-chosen words
    can heal and liberate, too.

    Got any questions or comments? Please get in touch.

    As with the rest of this website — all words are written by me, Anya Hastwell;
    images are created by myself using elements from the Canva design tool, unless otherwise stated.

    Next Post: Hello 2023: Reflections and introspections »

    Language Matters ⏃ Words are Powerful ⏃ Use Them Well

    GET IN TOUCH
    • E-mail
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
  • Copyright © 2023 · Languawitchery Wordcraft · Hearten Made ⟡