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.