: About Me

“revel arroway” is the on-line pen name for a retired, 30 year veteran ESL teacher, currently living in Spain.

He began writing, as many do, at an early age, inspired by the works of Charles Dickens. Outlets for recognition included essay contests won (and lost) throughout his school days, finally becoming copy editor for his high school yearbook three years running.

At university, revel studied and received an MFA in Theatre management and directing, with a handicap towards playwrighting. During his university years he saw four of his works produced in studio theatre and participated in several playwrighting contests. On leaving university he moved to New York City where he worked as a reporter on health issues for a national niche newspaper, as well as publishing his own small, literary magazine, “Interpretations”, for three years.

Moving to Spain had revel concentrating his efforts on his work as a teacher of English as a Second Language, a career he had begun in New York. Through independent scholarship he educated himself in Applied Linguistics and carried out a successful career both as a private tutor as well as in different language academies. Besides regular ESL classes he conducted several seminars for educators, sharing the most current trends in language teaching with teachers in schools and the EOI (Official Language School of Spain). His writings on ESL teaching on the internet were concentrated in forum participation on popular ESL teaching sites.

He has worked extensively as a translator, both Spanish to English and English to Spanish. His translations have ranged from a coffee-table book on Easter Week in Tarragona, Spain to complex sales material for John Deere machinery. He continues to translate and write both in Spanish and English on several copy writing web sites.

Here at Helium, revel began timidly by sharing information about language learning and dabbling in other theme areas. After a year of “learning the ropes” on the site, he applied for a Channel Manager position and is currently the Language Learning Tips Channel Manager. He is awaiting the creation of an ESL channel, where he can contribute with his three decades of experience as a dedicated teacher. He was accepted onto the Editorial Advisory Board and participates with the team in the review of articles on Helium, helping writers through feedback to produce the best content they can. He is also responsible for the Writers Critique Forum where his comments on writer’s problems have assisted many in fine-tuning their work at Helium.

revel is always open to helping others with their doubts about their own writing. He keeps his own articles as highly ranking as possible, taking advantage of the opinions of raters and other members on the site and constantly reworking his own content. He believes that writing is a craft that must be worked at and practiced constantly and tries to communicate this idea to all beginning and seasoned writers.

My passion is ...

my wonderful wonderful cat Gepetto. 23 June 1993 - 5 August 2011, he will always be part of my life. I miss him so much.

I know too much about ...

nothing at all.

My parents always told me ...

I could do whatever I put my thoughts upon.

My childhood ambition ...

be an actor, be a writer.

My favorite memory ...

Aguas Tuertas.

Why I write ...

because it is an excellent way of communicating thought.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

"From the corner of his eye" by Dean R Koontz

My first job ...

gas pump jockey (if we don't count acres of mowed lawns....)

My best moment ...

after that first morning coffee.

My inspiration ...

my dreams

Arts & Humanities > Writing at Helium What editors look for in Helium writing

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In recent times, the role of the editor at Helium has become more integral in the workings of the site. Where once an article was written, submitted and immediately published, some types of articles are now being reviewed before publication on the site to ensure that they meet certain standards. Other articles that have been on the site for years or are submitted through the regular process are also gradually looked at by editors who make small corrections, give feedback and try their best to help writers provide Helium with the highest quality material they are capable of. But, what is it...

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Writing:

Rating:

• Marketplace Premier Writer
• Editorial Advisory Board
• Teacher
• Marketplace Approved Writer
• 2Marketplace Articles Sold
• Channel Manager Language Learning Tips
• Helium Charter Member