Today on the blog, we’re featuring one of the stellar editors who work quietly in the background to make every post from Hit Subscribe the best it can be: Angela Traficante. A former techie herself, Angela is the owner of Lambda Editing, where she provides editing and beta reading services to fiction authors. Here, she shares her journey from software developer to editor extraordinaire and gives advice for aspiring writers.
HS: Tell me a little bit about your background and how you became an editor.
AT: In college, I double majored in Computer Science and Literary Arts, so I always knew I wanted writing and editing to be a part of my life. I went into the tech industry right after college. But after realizing that software development wasn’t a great fit for me, I wanted to take my career in a different direction. Although I mostly edit fiction now, I’m still passionate about tech, so it was sort of a natural progression to also continue doing editing for technical articles and blog posts. It keeps me up to date on the industry and lets me help engineers express themselves through writing.
HS: What do you love about editing?
AT: To me, there’s something genuinely satisfying about taking a sentence and making it perfect, like finishing a puzzle. I like putting all the pieces together in order to make an author’s work shine. I’m doubly excited to work on articles for Hit Subscribe because it allows me to learn and keep up with technology as I edit! It also allows me (along with the author and other people in the process) to help get information out to those who need it in a readable, accurate format.
HS: Where are you based and how has your life changed since joining the Hit Subscribe team?
AT: I’m based in Boston, MA. I live just outside of the city with my husband and our three black cats. Around the time I joined Hit Subscribe in 2022, my editing business really started taking off, so I’ve spent these years building a client list and working on an array of different fiction and non
fiction projects. A decade ago, I would have never imagined myself as a freelancer or business owner, but it turns out that this was exactly what I needed. I like helping others in a supporting role, and I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of my schedule and taking on projects I’m passionate about.
HS: What advice do you have for authors/developers who are interested in writing something other than code?
AT: I have two pieces of advice for any writer, technical or otherwise. The first is to just start writing. Many new authors get hung up on finding the right topic, crafting a precise outline, or trying to make every word perfect the first time. They sometimes don’t get very far because they’re too afraid to start. But a lot of writing is about practice, and you need to be actually writing to get that practice.
The second, and complementary, piece of advice is to allow yourself to take and internalize feedback. Even good writing can always be improved, so make sure you’re open and receptive to that improvement. Writing is a lot like coding: it’s an iterative cycle of putting something out, making changes for the better, and repeating until you have exactly what you intended. Writing something, receiving helpful feedback on your writing, and then using that feedback to inform future writing is how you become better.
HS: Tell me something fun about you.
AT: One of my more serious hobbies is figure skating. When I’m not at home editing, you can find me at my skating club practicing spins, jumps, and moves with my coaches. I love skating because it’s great exercise, but also because it requires you to be aware of your body and problem-solve when things aren’t going right. So, it’s a combination of both physical and mental skills. And, much like writing, slow and steady positive progress can make you better over time!