Welcome, I've been waiting for you!

It's only fair that you should get to know a bit more about me. Just in case you Google me and find some obscure name sake with a dodgy reputation! My parents clearly never bargained on my name rhyming with the same term used for a 'lady of the night' - Charlotte the (fill in the embarrassing blank). My surname is proudly part South African, part French and with the slightest whiff of Dutch - Olivier. 

I'm a born and bred South African - a Capetonian by heart, but I have lived and worked across the country, southern Africa and Europe. These days I can be seen dodging traffic and experiencing the unique culture of Johannesburg's nothern suburbs.

 Composure in motion 

Compose Yourself! is a one-woman copy editing machine. It sounds very ooh-la-la but the truth is I sleep very little, my fiancé has to skype me to catch up and my cat's glare at me in disgust.  I decided to go freelance after spending more than ten years chasing stories, crunching deadlines and managing print and web content. I know, the sixty-four-million-dollar-question is "So why are you doing this dollybird?”

It's a funny story really. I h ad a secure job at a major SA media house in Cape Town when I met (don't laugh) "The One". Unfortunately The One lived on the opposite end of the country. Long story short, I was transferred to our Jozi office when, one day, some accountants had lunch and probably a fair measure of wine, and decided to close the publication in Johannesburg. So I did what savvy South African women do: I started Compose Yourself! and it soon took off.

I have had the pleasure of working in newsrooms across the country, both at magazines and newspapers. I have a very broad frame of reference and take great pride in every aspect of the publication process. I'm fully bilingual, English and Afrikaans and regularly entertain foreign clients with my odd French, Dutch and German accents.

 Freelancer needs job: goldfish to feed 

Now that we know each other... why pick me? I believe in tight, clean copy. Missing a deadline is not an option. I offer professional subbing at affordable rates. I am comfortable with different subject matters and can work with all types of copy. Your specific instructions are not guide lines, they are there for a reason.

I work from home and have three backup computers, ADSL, wi-fi and mobile phone modems... oh and a generator (thank you Joburg Electricity). Deadlines are deadlines and the thought of being without the comforting hum of hardworking computers. Deadlines do not take well to "error XYZ Ur Buggered) messages.  

You are probably thinking "Oh this lady is far too posh and expensive for our project". I'm not! I enjoy working on a variety of publications and media formats. Between my love for crossword puzzles and my home karaoke system (stop smirking), I am currently working on my first book and for reasons that will baffle me for years to come,

I am specialising in narrative non-fiction with a tinge of cynical humour and cringe-worthy honesty about my life - all 33 years of them. Don't ask... childhood dream and promise to my late mom.

 Didn't read the intro? Here's the v v shot version 

If you skimmed through the whole piece and would just like to get on with it: I take great pride in what I do and it's always rewarding to help a client complete a tight, affordable and stress free project. 

 Update: Voila! Magazine: April 2011

Need a quote?

Email me at charlotte@degar.co.za