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Testimonials |
As a proofreader
'The service that Tess has provided in the proofing on our book has been completely exceptional. Her attention to detail is PHENOMENAL. She has TAKEN AN INTEREST in the subject matter of the book and has gone out of her way to make sure the language used is completely appropriate for us - her ability to reword some of our phrases to make what we say sound better has taken my breath away. She has been a delight to work with, setting very clear guidelines. In the end we asked her to do more than we initially thought was needed and she undertook this with willingness and skill. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone and there is absolutely no doubt that should the need arise, I will be using her again. I only wish I had found her sooner!'
Judy King, Editor, Dance to Re-connect: An introduction to the Harmony Method® by Nanni Kloke
'I was in the fortunate position of being approached by Tess Jolly, recently qualified as a proofreader, to undertake the proofreading of my recently written book, ‘The Soul Asylums’.
Tess undertook the challenge with positivity, commitment, enthusiasm, and a strong and dedicated work ethic. I am staggered at the work undertaken and blown away with the results, which I liken to a ‘deep clean’, ‘gloss’, and ‘polish’ of the original manuscript.
The forensic manner in which Tess approached the proofreading task makes the authoring and tracking changes as easy as writing by numbers, giving incredible confidence and belief to this author. She added volume and body to the copy through commas, intelligent suggestions, and consistent attention to stylistic detail. I learned a great deal about my own grammatical shortcomings – including my love for a capital letter and what an ellipsis is.
I would recommend Tess for any proofreading commission in the future, be it great or small, for the value she can add is beyond expectation.'
Sheridan Hough, Author, The Soul Asylums
'Tess had been recommended to me and I was grateful for her help in making consistent the American spellings in my fiction collection. She tightened a few idioms and phrases. It became clear to me that she was also reading for meaning when she queried a historical reference concerning the end of Prohibition in the US, which made me stop and think and do a bit more of my own research. I then altered a few lines of dialogue to incorporate the new information. When I read through the revised manuscript, I saw a polished collection and a more professional product. What more could I want? Now I’m happy to be the one to recommend her service.'
Candye Lange, Author, Bachelors Road
'Tess has been proofreading for me for three months now and the difference is (to me) remarkable. Not only does Tess pick up on the smallest of style inconsistencies, but her knowledge and love of grammar and language puts me in very safe hands.
Reproducing poetry online is fraught with risk: formatting can change as email pings back and forth; the printed page in a book may be different to an online source; using text editor to move a poem from document to Wordpress may strip a poem of spare, but essential, italics; poems may have particular spacing and indentation that is ‘lost in translation’ – there is so much that can go wrong! Tess spots and fixes all of this, and more!
Just as importantly, with tight deadlines to meet, Tess has always delivered ahead of her promised time, and her correspondence with me has been unfailingly calm, reassuring, and very clear. Exactly what I want and need from a proofreader.'
Anna Dreda, Wenlock Books
'Tess has worked on several articles for me and has always delivered exceptional service. She is detailed, methodical and always meets deadlines. Her editing suggestions are very helpful, and she is careful to keep these in line with the tone and style of the document she's reviewing. I will continue to use her services and wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to others.'
Heather Bain, Director at Charistay Limited
'I want to heartily recommend Tess Jolly. Not only is she an amazing poet, but she is also a fabulous proofreader. I asked Tess to proof a few of my short fictions which I am tentatively starting to assemble into a collection.
She found a fair amount to fix: including a regrettable promiscuity with commas and the odd toe-curling typo (including the classic patios when I meant patois), the odd tautology and so on. It was great to feel the MS was now more watertight.
Little bad habits, invisible to you as the perpetrator, being made suddenly visible was a little like having a writing masterclass. I fully intend to use Tess’ eagle eyes on my prose projects from now on. I can wholeheartedly recommend her.'
peterkenny.co.uk/2021/02/20/proof-positive/
Peter, Kenny, Author
'Tess proofread a draft collection of linked short stories I was working on with its author. The book’s set in the US, and one thing we asked her to look for was American spellings. She did a brilliant, thorough job – both at picking up those anomalies and at spotting literals, inconsistencies and suggesting small simplifications of phrasing. Her notes were all spot on, as well as very clear and easy to follow.'
Charlotte Gann, Editor
'The service that Tess has provided in the proofing on our book has been completely exceptional. Her attention to detail is PHENOMENAL. She has TAKEN AN INTEREST in the subject matter of the book and has gone out of her way to make sure the language used is completely appropriate for us - her ability to reword some of our phrases to make what we say sound better has taken my breath away. She has been a delight to work with, setting very clear guidelines. In the end we asked her to do more than we initially thought was needed and she undertook this with willingness and skill. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone and there is absolutely no doubt that should the need arise, I will be using her again. I only wish I had found her sooner!'
Judy King, Editor, Dance to Re-connect: An introduction to the Harmony Method® by Nanni Kloke
'I was in the fortunate position of being approached by Tess Jolly, recently qualified as a proofreader, to undertake the proofreading of my recently written book, ‘The Soul Asylums’.
Tess undertook the challenge with positivity, commitment, enthusiasm, and a strong and dedicated work ethic. I am staggered at the work undertaken and blown away with the results, which I liken to a ‘deep clean’, ‘gloss’, and ‘polish’ of the original manuscript.
The forensic manner in which Tess approached the proofreading task makes the authoring and tracking changes as easy as writing by numbers, giving incredible confidence and belief to this author. She added volume and body to the copy through commas, intelligent suggestions, and consistent attention to stylistic detail. I learned a great deal about my own grammatical shortcomings – including my love for a capital letter and what an ellipsis is.
I would recommend Tess for any proofreading commission in the future, be it great or small, for the value she can add is beyond expectation.'
Sheridan Hough, Author, The Soul Asylums
'Tess had been recommended to me and I was grateful for her help in making consistent the American spellings in my fiction collection. She tightened a few idioms and phrases. It became clear to me that she was also reading for meaning when she queried a historical reference concerning the end of Prohibition in the US, which made me stop and think and do a bit more of my own research. I then altered a few lines of dialogue to incorporate the new information. When I read through the revised manuscript, I saw a polished collection and a more professional product. What more could I want? Now I’m happy to be the one to recommend her service.'
Candye Lange, Author, Bachelors Road
'Tess has been proofreading for me for three months now and the difference is (to me) remarkable. Not only does Tess pick up on the smallest of style inconsistencies, but her knowledge and love of grammar and language puts me in very safe hands.
Reproducing poetry online is fraught with risk: formatting can change as email pings back and forth; the printed page in a book may be different to an online source; using text editor to move a poem from document to Wordpress may strip a poem of spare, but essential, italics; poems may have particular spacing and indentation that is ‘lost in translation’ – there is so much that can go wrong! Tess spots and fixes all of this, and more!
Just as importantly, with tight deadlines to meet, Tess has always delivered ahead of her promised time, and her correspondence with me has been unfailingly calm, reassuring, and very clear. Exactly what I want and need from a proofreader.'
Anna Dreda, Wenlock Books
'Tess has worked on several articles for me and has always delivered exceptional service. She is detailed, methodical and always meets deadlines. Her editing suggestions are very helpful, and she is careful to keep these in line with the tone and style of the document she's reviewing. I will continue to use her services and wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to others.'
Heather Bain, Director at Charistay Limited
'I want to heartily recommend Tess Jolly. Not only is she an amazing poet, but she is also a fabulous proofreader. I asked Tess to proof a few of my short fictions which I am tentatively starting to assemble into a collection.
She found a fair amount to fix: including a regrettable promiscuity with commas and the odd toe-curling typo (including the classic patios when I meant patois), the odd tautology and so on. It was great to feel the MS was now more watertight.
Little bad habits, invisible to you as the perpetrator, being made suddenly visible was a little like having a writing masterclass. I fully intend to use Tess’ eagle eyes on my prose projects from now on. I can wholeheartedly recommend her.'
peterkenny.co.uk/2021/02/20/proof-positive/
Peter, Kenny, Author
'Tess proofread a draft collection of linked short stories I was working on with its author. The book’s set in the US, and one thing we asked her to look for was American spellings. She did a brilliant, thorough job – both at picking up those anomalies and at spotting literals, inconsistencies and suggesting small simplifications of phrasing. Her notes were all spot on, as well as very clear and easy to follow.'
Charlotte Gann, Editor
As a tutor
From the children themselves:
'I have been doing Tiger’s Eye creative writing for more than four years now. I love this club because it inspires me to be as creative as I can be. Tess is very encouraging and gives us all kinds of inspirational ideas and prompts that we can turn into exciting stories. She keeps it interesting so that we always do something different every session. I enjoy the mix of poetry and fiction and I love how supportive the other students are. I have tried some online creative writing platforms, but they are nowhere near as good as Tess’s club. My little sister has now joined and she loves it as much as I do.'
Tali
'Tiger's Eye Writers is epic and also awesome!'
'Tiger's Eye Writers is like a family.'
From the parents:
'Eva has absolutely loved writing with you and I have been so impressed with the work she has created under your tutoring. Thank you so much for providing this highly valuable place for young writers to explore their imagination. It has been a precious activity during all this crazy time of Covid. Eva ... is still writing daily and has chosen to do the Creative Writing option for her enrichment week thus summer at school.'
'Thanks for everything you've done for Rose. Attending your classes has developed a passion in her that I truly hope continues to flourish and grow. Without your support and expertise I know she wouldn't be as enthusiastic about creative writing and reading. Huge thank you Tess.'
'Thank you Tess for continuing with the sessions. The girls absolutely love them. They have done a lot of clubs, but yours is their absolute favourite. Given that Tali has been doing it for more than four years and still loves it so much is a testament to your fantastic work.'
'We would like to thank you for all the work you have put into your classes with Erin. Her creative writing and storytelling has grown immensely since starting with you, this has shone through in her school work and communication of ideas from imagination to paper. She has really enjoyed the classes and having another small circle of friends has been of great benefit.
'Tess’s ability to present a stimulus, through an image or line of writing, enables the children to explore individual ideas. I particularly find the teaching style that Tess uses to be reassuring and encouraging, allowing children of all abilities to participate in an uninhibited environment. Through Tigers Eye my daughter has demonstrated using many of the key requisites for the English National Curriculum, in a fun and engaging way, but more importantly, it has allowed her to immerse herself confidently in writing. I cannot recommend Tess’s group highly enough.'
'My son Jamie loves playing computer games and watching TV; he hates writing, and wouldn't even pick up a crayon until he started school. He went to his first session of Tiger's Eye under protest - he came out begging to be allowed to go back! Since then, Tess has encouraged him to write stories and poems that I wouldn't have thought him capable of.'
'Thank you so much for your fabulous creative writing class, Milly enjoys it immensely. I really want to thank you for the interest that a group like yours places on young people's creative writing development. It is a fantastic opportunity, and provides Milly with much enthusiasm and enjoyment for reading and writing.'
'Thanks Tess - for hosting such an enriching experience for these little people, term after term.'
'My son was awarded writing champion status this week at school, something that he had previously never been in the running for. I really think that there is a link here with Tigers Eye!'
'I would like to thank you Tess for all the encouragement you have given Daisy, she has had a wonderful experience, you have really given her the confidence to write creatively and to enjoy using her imagination.'
'Thank you so much for the session today - both Tom and Molly came home buzzing with it. Tom burst through the door saying it was brilliant and has gone straight to the table to complete his story he started with you. You are obviously wonderful at inspiring them. Thank you for exciting their creative spirit.'
'My ten-year-old daughter has attended Tigers Eye creative writing group for over a year and thoroughly enjoys her time there. Within the group she is able to express her creative ideas through poetry and short story writing. Tess’s ability to present a stimulus, through an image or line of writing, enables the children to explore individual ideas. I particularly find the teaching style that Tess uses to be reassuring and encouraging, allowing children of all abilities to participate in an uninhibited environment. Through Tigers Eye my daughter has demonstrated using many of the key requisites for the English National Curriculum, in a fun and engaging way, but more importantly, it has allowed her to immerse herself confidently in writing. I cannot recommend Tess’s group highly enough.'
'My daughter Rose has thoroughly loved being a part of Tiger’s Eye writing club. The club has provided her with the opportunity to explore her creative writing and poetry styles in a fun and interactive way. Tess provides the children with the tools and freedom to express themselves through words and gives them confidence by sharing their pieces with the group and parents, which is fantastic. Since Rose has started Tiger’s Eye her confidence in writing and creating poems especially has bloomed and it touched our family’s heart recently when she wrote a beautiful poem for her grandfather’s funeral which was particularly heart-warming. A brilliant club which helps children explore their writing potential and build confidence.'
'There's always a different focus or subject for the session, which engages my daughter as it's done in a fun way. Tess's way of working with the children has turned Lila from someone who was just interested in writing stories into someone who loves writing poetry. Not just with Tess but at home whenever the thought takes hold.'
'My daughter loves the activities at the start of the class. It has helped to improve her writing of poems and stories at school.'
'Tess has a friendly and approachable manner. She provides the children with opportunities to fully express themselves through words. She inspires the children to participate in a range of different written activities. Some of these encourage the children to put themselves in the shoes of other people or objects and to really use their imagination, other activities allow them to process their own thoughts and feelings. The activities the children are engaged in at Tiger’s Eye have been developing their self-confidence as well as their reading and writing skills over the term.'
'Tess offers a unique and inspiring writing workshop for children. She has good topics and introduces things they wouldn’t normally do at school. Both my children have loved Tess’s workshops for several years.'
'My daughter loves the group and the great ideas Tess has to encourage her imagination and develop her creativity.'
'My daughter has been part of Tiger's Eye Writers now for over 4 years. She really loves going to each session. Attending this group has really helped her confidence in school lessons to be a bit more creative with her writing. Tess is always friendly and the children are all comfortable around her, she is always there to answer any questions the children or adults might have. Great for the children to meet new people, and have fun while learning new skills with their writing.'
From the organisers of Shoreham Wordfest and Little Green Writing Project
'Tess has led poetry and creative writing sessions for us in local primary and special schools, in support of National Book Day, or to support activities organised as part of Shoreham Wordfest. We have always received positive feedback about the sessions and activities run by Tess, from children, teachers and parents. The creative writing she has generated has been of a very high standard and has engaged children of all ages and abilities.'
Rosalind Turner, Programme Director, Shoreham Wordfest
'In 2015 Tess Jolly, as a local prize-winning poet, was invited to judge the entries of a poetry competition run by Shoreham Wordfest as part of the Adur Arts Festival. She did this jointly with a local published writer and creative writing tutor: Mark Peterson. Tess and Mark had not worked together before but very quickly became an exemplary judging team, applying their different writing backgrounds in a complimentary way. Tess demonstrated an appreciation of the submissions across all abilities of poetry writing, finding positives in them all. She also demonstrated a clear understanding of what makes a winning poem, both technically and in its originality. We would be pleased to invite Tess to contribute to the judging of any future poetry competitions.'
Barbara Meredith, Poetry Organiser for Shoreham Wordfest
'Tess led thoughtful and inspiring workshops for 7-16-year-olds and the children responded to her well. It’s great to have a writer who has a teaching background too.'
Project Manager of Little Green Pig Writing Project
From the children themselves:
'I have been doing Tiger’s Eye creative writing for more than four years now. I love this club because it inspires me to be as creative as I can be. Tess is very encouraging and gives us all kinds of inspirational ideas and prompts that we can turn into exciting stories. She keeps it interesting so that we always do something different every session. I enjoy the mix of poetry and fiction and I love how supportive the other students are. I have tried some online creative writing platforms, but they are nowhere near as good as Tess’s club. My little sister has now joined and she loves it as much as I do.'
Tali
'Tiger's Eye Writers is epic and also awesome!'
'Tiger's Eye Writers is like a family.'
From the parents:
'Eva has absolutely loved writing with you and I have been so impressed with the work she has created under your tutoring. Thank you so much for providing this highly valuable place for young writers to explore their imagination. It has been a precious activity during all this crazy time of Covid. Eva ... is still writing daily and has chosen to do the Creative Writing option for her enrichment week thus summer at school.'
'Thanks for everything you've done for Rose. Attending your classes has developed a passion in her that I truly hope continues to flourish and grow. Without your support and expertise I know she wouldn't be as enthusiastic about creative writing and reading. Huge thank you Tess.'
'Thank you Tess for continuing with the sessions. The girls absolutely love them. They have done a lot of clubs, but yours is their absolute favourite. Given that Tali has been doing it for more than four years and still loves it so much is a testament to your fantastic work.'
'We would like to thank you for all the work you have put into your classes with Erin. Her creative writing and storytelling has grown immensely since starting with you, this has shone through in her school work and communication of ideas from imagination to paper. She has really enjoyed the classes and having another small circle of friends has been of great benefit.
'Tess’s ability to present a stimulus, through an image or line of writing, enables the children to explore individual ideas. I particularly find the teaching style that Tess uses to be reassuring and encouraging, allowing children of all abilities to participate in an uninhibited environment. Through Tigers Eye my daughter has demonstrated using many of the key requisites for the English National Curriculum, in a fun and engaging way, but more importantly, it has allowed her to immerse herself confidently in writing. I cannot recommend Tess’s group highly enough.'
'My son Jamie loves playing computer games and watching TV; he hates writing, and wouldn't even pick up a crayon until he started school. He went to his first session of Tiger's Eye under protest - he came out begging to be allowed to go back! Since then, Tess has encouraged him to write stories and poems that I wouldn't have thought him capable of.'
'Thank you so much for your fabulous creative writing class, Milly enjoys it immensely. I really want to thank you for the interest that a group like yours places on young people's creative writing development. It is a fantastic opportunity, and provides Milly with much enthusiasm and enjoyment for reading and writing.'
'Thanks Tess - for hosting such an enriching experience for these little people, term after term.'
'My son was awarded writing champion status this week at school, something that he had previously never been in the running for. I really think that there is a link here with Tigers Eye!'
'I would like to thank you Tess for all the encouragement you have given Daisy, she has had a wonderful experience, you have really given her the confidence to write creatively and to enjoy using her imagination.'
'Thank you so much for the session today - both Tom and Molly came home buzzing with it. Tom burst through the door saying it was brilliant and has gone straight to the table to complete his story he started with you. You are obviously wonderful at inspiring them. Thank you for exciting their creative spirit.'
'My ten-year-old daughter has attended Tigers Eye creative writing group for over a year and thoroughly enjoys her time there. Within the group she is able to express her creative ideas through poetry and short story writing. Tess’s ability to present a stimulus, through an image or line of writing, enables the children to explore individual ideas. I particularly find the teaching style that Tess uses to be reassuring and encouraging, allowing children of all abilities to participate in an uninhibited environment. Through Tigers Eye my daughter has demonstrated using many of the key requisites for the English National Curriculum, in a fun and engaging way, but more importantly, it has allowed her to immerse herself confidently in writing. I cannot recommend Tess’s group highly enough.'
'My daughter Rose has thoroughly loved being a part of Tiger’s Eye writing club. The club has provided her with the opportunity to explore her creative writing and poetry styles in a fun and interactive way. Tess provides the children with the tools and freedom to express themselves through words and gives them confidence by sharing their pieces with the group and parents, which is fantastic. Since Rose has started Tiger’s Eye her confidence in writing and creating poems especially has bloomed and it touched our family’s heart recently when she wrote a beautiful poem for her grandfather’s funeral which was particularly heart-warming. A brilliant club which helps children explore their writing potential and build confidence.'
'There's always a different focus or subject for the session, which engages my daughter as it's done in a fun way. Tess's way of working with the children has turned Lila from someone who was just interested in writing stories into someone who loves writing poetry. Not just with Tess but at home whenever the thought takes hold.'
'My daughter loves the activities at the start of the class. It has helped to improve her writing of poems and stories at school.'
'Tess has a friendly and approachable manner. She provides the children with opportunities to fully express themselves through words. She inspires the children to participate in a range of different written activities. Some of these encourage the children to put themselves in the shoes of other people or objects and to really use their imagination, other activities allow them to process their own thoughts and feelings. The activities the children are engaged in at Tiger’s Eye have been developing their self-confidence as well as their reading and writing skills over the term.'
'Tess offers a unique and inspiring writing workshop for children. She has good topics and introduces things they wouldn’t normally do at school. Both my children have loved Tess’s workshops for several years.'
'My daughter loves the group and the great ideas Tess has to encourage her imagination and develop her creativity.'
'My daughter has been part of Tiger's Eye Writers now for over 4 years. She really loves going to each session. Attending this group has really helped her confidence in school lessons to be a bit more creative with her writing. Tess is always friendly and the children are all comfortable around her, she is always there to answer any questions the children or adults might have. Great for the children to meet new people, and have fun while learning new skills with their writing.'
From the organisers of Shoreham Wordfest and Little Green Writing Project
'Tess has led poetry and creative writing sessions for us in local primary and special schools, in support of National Book Day, or to support activities organised as part of Shoreham Wordfest. We have always received positive feedback about the sessions and activities run by Tess, from children, teachers and parents. The creative writing she has generated has been of a very high standard and has engaged children of all ages and abilities.'
Rosalind Turner, Programme Director, Shoreham Wordfest
'In 2015 Tess Jolly, as a local prize-winning poet, was invited to judge the entries of a poetry competition run by Shoreham Wordfest as part of the Adur Arts Festival. She did this jointly with a local published writer and creative writing tutor: Mark Peterson. Tess and Mark had not worked together before but very quickly became an exemplary judging team, applying their different writing backgrounds in a complimentary way. Tess demonstrated an appreciation of the submissions across all abilities of poetry writing, finding positives in them all. She also demonstrated a clear understanding of what makes a winning poem, both technically and in its originality. We would be pleased to invite Tess to contribute to the judging of any future poetry competitions.'
Barbara Meredith, Poetry Organiser for Shoreham Wordfest
'Tess led thoughtful and inspiring workshops for 7-16-year-olds and the children responded to her well. It’s great to have a writer who has a teaching background too.'
Project Manager of Little Green Pig Writing Project
