Anna Allen

Background

About Anna Allen

When I was in the sixth grade, I went through a phase of correcting my classmates’ grammar. My actions came from a place of love (a love of language). But, thankfully, I grew out of the phase pretty quickly when I realized that if I didn’t stop, I’d become a friendless, less-lovable Hermione Granger character. What I didn’t grow out of, however, is my love of language. It’s this love of language that has motivated me toward my 15+ year writing and editing career. I sometimes feel like I’ve done everything related to writing and editing, from working at my university writing center all four years of my undergrad to being a technical writing lead at a rapidly growing AI startup. One thing all of my experiences have in common though is this: my desire to help others through effective communication, whether it’s doing technical writing that saves customers' and my team members' time or coauthoring a memoir with a Vietnam veteran to simply help him tell his life story. I’m a writer and editor because I love to help people, and I love to learn from them. I’m constantly asking questions, and the more I learn, the more I want to know. In fact, my desire to constantly learn is part of why I’ve specialized in technical writing and editing. I love working with subject matter experts to understand complex subjects and then communicate about those subjects in ways that anyone can understand. In most basic terms, as a writer and editor I’m a translator—a translator of concepts and thoughts and ideas—and I love it. These days, instead of correcting people’s grammar (which I’ve learned is NOT what editors actually do), you’ll find me writing configuration guides; editing release notes; and managing content and tasks using Jira, Confluence, Airtable, and other cool tools. My other specialties include baking gluten-free treats; singing opera; and sewing a ridiculous number of bandanas, bows, and bow-ties for my labradoodle and two cats.