Kara Zor-El
★
From the professional record. This article documents a working technical editor based in Kumasi.
Kara Zor-El
KZ
Zor-El at a documentation review, 2024
Born 14 March 1990 Occupation Technical editor Years active 2013–present Based in Kumasi, Ghana Known for API reference style guides, docs tooling
Contact
Languages
Fluent English, Twi Working French (B1)
Kara Zor-El (born 1990) is a technical editor based in Kumasi. She has worked on developer documentation since 2013, mostly on API references, contributor guides, and the tooling that keeps them consistent.[1] [2]
Contents
1 Career
1.1 Lumen Docs Collective 1.2 Tema Software Works 1.3 Independent editing
2 Skills and tools 3 Education 4 Selected work 5 References
Zor-El moved from copyediting into technical documentation in 2013, after a year proofreading engineering reports.[1]
Lumen Docs Collective edit
Senior Technical Editor
Lumen Docs Collective, Kumasi · 2019–present
Edits and maintains the reference set for 6 client APIs, about 1,900 pages total, with a two-week review cycle.[2]
Wrote the house style guide now used by 14 writers; cut terminology disputes in review by an estimated 40%.
Built a Vale-based linter with 62 custom rules that flags passive-heavy and inconsistent-term passages before merge.[3]
Tema Software Works edit
Documentation Editor
Tema Software Works, Accra (remote) · 2015–2019
Restructured a 340-page product manual into task-based sections; support tickets tagged "docs" dropped 27% over two quarters.
Ran the migration from a wiki to a docs-as-code setup for a team of 9, moving 780 articles with a redirect map.
Reviewed release notes for 22 versions, holding a same-day turnaround on hotfix entries.
Independent editing edit
Freelance Technical Editor
Self-employed · 2013–2015
Edited developer guides for 11 small clients, averaging 3 projects a month at a fixed per-page rate.
Copyedited two open-source handbooks totaling 210 pages, both merged upstream.
Skills and tools edit
Area Details Editing Structural editing, copyediting, terminology management, style guide authoring Docs-as-code Markdown, AsciiDoc, Git, static site generators (Hugo, Docusaurus) Quality tooling Vale, custom lint rules, link checkers, basic Python for scripting checks Formats API references (OpenAPI), tutorials, release notes, contributor guides Standards Microsoft Writing Style Guide, plain-language editing, accessibility review
Education edit
BA, English and Linguistics
Ashanti Regional University, Kumasi · 2008–2012
Coursework in syntax and editing; final project was a 48-page usage guide for campus lab reports.
Certificate, Technical Communication
Open Docs Institute (online) · 2014
Completed 6 modules covering information architecture and audience analysis.
Selected work edit
Lead editor, Lumen API Style Guide (2021), adopted across 14 writers.[2]
Speaker, "Linting prose without annoying writers," Kumasi Docs Meetup, 2023, about 70 attendees.[3]
Maintainer, community terminology glossary with 430 entries.
References edit
^ "Editor profile: Kara Zor-El." Kumasi Docs Meetup Directory . Retrieved 2 June 2024. example.com.^ Lumen Docs Collective (2023). Annual documentation report , p. 12. example.com.^ "Talk archive: Linting prose without annoying writers." Kumasi Docs Meetup, October 2023. example.com.