Name: Laura Burge
Pronouns: she/her
Neurodivergence: ADHD
Professional Role: Fiction Editor & Writing Coach
Bio: I am a writer, editor and writing coach who is passionate about stories as well as the use and evolution of language. When I step away from the word-related world, I can be found wandering in a forest, at various stages of chaotic baking, or feeding my wanderlust in various places. After almost a decade of living abroad (France and England), I’m now back in the US and living in Portland, Oregon.
I’ve worked on 100+ books with publishers and independent authors. I focus on fiction and work across multiple genres, though I have a special affection for fantasy, science fiction, magical realism and fabulism. I am an Advanced Professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (UK-based) and a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association (US-based).
I’ve spoken on several panels and at professional editing events about neurodiversity, including for the CIEP, host workshops, and have courses about working with people across different neurotypes. As a neurodivergent writer and editor myself, I often work with neurodivergent authors and am happy to explore the differing voices, styles, and communication methods that work best for each individual.
I’ve worked on 100+ books with publishers and independent authors. I focus on fiction and work across multiple genres, though I have a special affection for fantasy, science fiction, magical realism and fabulism. I am an Advanced Professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (UK-based) and a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association (US-based).
I’ve spoken on several panels and at professional editing events about neurodiversity, including for the CIEP, host workshops, and have courses about working with people across different neurotypes. As a neurodivergent writer and editor myself, I often work with neurodivergent authors and am happy to explore the differing voices, styles, and communication methods that work best for each individual.
Website: www.literarylaura.com
Twitter: @literarylaura
Instagram: @literarylaura
Facebook: literarylauraeditor
Location: Oregon, USA
Available for Virtual Sessions: YES
Available for In-Person Sessions: YES
Available to Travel: Happy to travel to destinations locally or further afield at the expense of the organizer.
Speaking Topics Include: ADHD; Writing; Editing; Working across neurotypes; Communication
Suitable Audiences Include: Writers; Publishing professionals
Speaker Experience: After several years of working with neurodivergent authors and diving into the topic of my own ADHD, I organized and spoke on a panel at the CIEP conference in 2022, focusing on working with neurodivergent clients and how to work as a neurodivergent editor. I have since spoken at several events about neurodiversity, communication styles, and spoken at the 2023 CIEP conference as well as the November 2023 Unconference hosted by Eliot West.
I am an active member in the neurodiversity advocacy community, have been researching neurodiversity, its history, joys and struggles, for a few years, and have an upcoming online course about working with neurodivergent authors, aimed at editors and other publishing professionals. I will also be speaking at the Neurodivergent Publishing Conference in February 2024.
I am an active member in the neurodiversity advocacy community, have been researching neurodiversity, its history, joys and struggles, for a few years, and have an upcoming online course about working with neurodivergent authors, aimed at editors and other publishing professionals. I will also be speaking at the Neurodivergent Publishing Conference in February 2024.
Presentation Pitch: 2023 CIEP conference: Bridging the gap on neurodiversity: Communication styles and strategies for working together
Communication is at the core of what editors do. How, then, do you work with clients who have a completely different understanding of how to communicate? When you’re working across neurotypes, needs can clash and misunderstandings abound. Join us as our panel discusses methods for initial interactions, lessons learned, common issues, and more when it comes to working with our clients and our brains.
2022 CIEP conference: Working with Neurodiversity in Editing panel
A term coined in the 1990s to describe brains that work differently, neurodiversity has recently gained more recognition and is taking a more prominent place in the social conversation. Neurodiversity includes recognized diagnoses such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, to name just a few. As editors, we will most likely come across neurodivergent clients, and many of us may also be neurodivergent ourselves. Editors and clients alike may struggle to communicate with each other, find the tools that work for them, and adjust writing and editing practices to work with their brains, instead of against them.
In this panel, a group of neurodivergent editors of diverse backgrounds who both live with and work with neurodiversity discuss the misconceptions, the challenges, and the joys around neurodiversity in a discussion designed to explore: how can we best support neurodivergent clients? How can we best support ourselves? And how can we ensure the two are mutually beneficial?
Communication is at the core of what editors do. How, then, do you work with clients who have a completely different understanding of how to communicate? When you’re working across neurotypes, needs can clash and misunderstandings abound. Join us as our panel discusses methods for initial interactions, lessons learned, common issues, and more when it comes to working with our clients and our brains.
2022 CIEP conference: Working with Neurodiversity in Editing panel
A term coined in the 1990s to describe brains that work differently, neurodiversity has recently gained more recognition and is taking a more prominent place in the social conversation. Neurodiversity includes recognized diagnoses such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, to name just a few. As editors, we will most likely come across neurodivergent clients, and many of us may also be neurodivergent ourselves. Editors and clients alike may struggle to communicate with each other, find the tools that work for them, and adjust writing and editing practices to work with their brains, instead of against them.
In this panel, a group of neurodivergent editors of diverse backgrounds who both live with and work with neurodiversity discuss the misconceptions, the challenges, and the joys around neurodiversity in a discussion designed to explore: how can we best support neurodivergent clients? How can we best support ourselves? And how can we ensure the two are mutually beneficial?
Book This Speaker: By Laura's website: www.literarylaura.com or by email: [email protected]
