Welcome to my site. I’m Patricia Bell, an author and professional proofreader and editor. I love words and language and stories, and I particularly love helping people to produce excellent writing. My business is called Bellbird Words Proofreading, Editing, and Writing Services (check me out at www.bellbirdwords.com).

I named my business after the bellbird for three reasons: my last name, my adopted nationality (the bellbird is native to New Zealand, where I live now, but I was born in Northern Ireland), and my love of music and nature. (The bellbird’s song is clear, melodious, and perfectly composed – just like a great piece of writing.)

I mostly write short stories, and I’ve had my work (short stories, poems, and non-fiction articles) published in magazines, anthologies, and literary journals, and online. I’m currently working on a novel and a short story collection.

I have a master’s degree with distinction in English literature (specialising in Northern Irish poetry – I was born there), a postgraduate diploma in journalism, and a diploma in proofreading and editing. I’m a member of the New Zealand Society of Authors.

I share some of my writing here, as well as writing advice, tips, and ideas that may be useful. But it’s not just an instruction manual. It’s also a collection of thoughts about writing and the writing process. Thoughts about how the acts of writing and reading can enrich and transform our lives and the lives of others, and about what happens when we bring ourselves to the page. Thoughts about language in all its glory and imperfections. Thoughts about stories, and about being human, and about how these two things inevitably intertwine. I hope you find these thoughts helpful, or funny, or meaningful, or moving, or challenging, or all of the above.

You can also follow me on Facebook: Bellbird Words (my business page) and Patricia A Bell, Author (my author page).