Meet a Suite-er

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Oct 9, 2008

Barbara Melville, former feature writer for Personality/ Anxiety/ Mood Disorders, recently had an article featured for Editor’s Choice. Here’s what she has to say about her life at Suite.

What is your favourite thing about writing for Suite101?

There’s a great deal of potential for learning, not just in the topics I write about, but also in gaining proficiency in web-writing. The Suite community is incredibly encouraging – the writers and editors support each other daily, and their combined wealth of experience is nothing short of extraordinary.

What is your biggest punctuation bugaboo?

That would be the extraneous apostrophe. My local restaurant has a sign outside that says “Pizza’s”. Unfortunately, it isn’t owned by Mr Pizza. On the flipside, I’m overly fond of the comma. I have to remove about five of them every time I draft an article.

Do you have any tips for writers just starting to write for the web?

I think it’s important to embrace the learning curve and to get into good habits early on. One such good habit would be to read the available literature and ask questions if something doesn’t make sense.

What are your goals as a writer on Suite?

I aspire to the knowledge of Plants & Bulbs Features Writer, Angela England. She has informally mentored me and been there through every web-writing panic. She has contributed to my growth as a writer, and I hope to pass on these priceless teachings.

What has been your “Suite-est” accomplishment since writing for the site?

To be honest, while Suite has led to much appreciated praise and writing gigs, my biggest accomplishment has been watching my time-management skills evolve. Having the weekly writing commitment has almost certainly been the linchpin in that development.

Barbara Melville is now the feature writer for Genetics and Evolution under the Science and Nature category.