Nicole Saunders

is the owner and senior editor at Lively Margins, Editorial Services. Nicole founded Lively Margins following her completion of a certificate in editing from the University of Washington. In addition to her lifelong love of language, reading, and writing and ten years of experience working in communication-dependent fields, Nicole brings her compassion for her fellow writers to every project she works on. She describes her editorial process as a balancing act:

On the one hand, you advocate for the author by urging them toward the draft that will realize their vision of the project. We all have an inner drive compelling us to put pen to paper in the first place, and that passion is a precious thing—you have to protect it. On the other hand, you advocate for the hypothetical future readers by uncovering the highest quality draft possible and helping to craft the reading experience the author is striving for. Sometimes they are the same thing; at other times they are in conflict. Helping the author understand the trade-offs so that they can make an informed decision is the key. Because the one thing that none of us writers can do, no matter how skilled, is pull away from the writing enough to experience the view from inside the reader’s head.

Nicole is also an alumna of Western Washington University, where she earned her BA and a certificate in video production. She sits on the board of directors for a local nonprofit, Northwest Wilderness Programs, and enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and hiking in her spare time. View Nicole's LinkedIn