FAQs
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I was always interested in writingputting together the pieces of an experience in a way that interrupts the reader in the mundane journey through the day-to-day. I began my professional life as a college teacher; communicating sophisticated or complex information to a largely disinterested audience and business writing share many attributes. Business writing is preferable, I think, because it almost always has implications in the real world and can make an immediate and tangible difference in many peoples lives.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Print collateral (broadly defined) and Website content development. For the Web I get involved in site architecture as well as the production of screen content. Frequently there is a crossover between Web and print when I collaborate with clients to design content that can be applied when and where it is most valuable. Print pieces run the gamut, from press releases to product/service descriptions, white papers and direct mail, to corporate newsletters and executive speeches and sales presentations. My most enjoyable jobsand some of my most successful onesare writing up conferences where many different presenters approach a single idea or subject from their various perspectives. This is more than just a summary, in most cases, and has functioned as a springboard for publishing books and other in-depth pieces to differentiate my clients and their brands and objectives.
- Describe a recent project you are fond of. How long did it take?
Proofreading jobs are a high priority for me but not usually for my clients. They want the words to be right, but since these jobs usually come to me at the last minute, clients want quick turnaround but not a lot of thought. A national not-for-profit sent me a 5,000-word piece to proof. On first review I could see that there were some big structural problems herenot to mention many opaque sentences and paragraphs. Because I knew they were having budgetary problems and faced some severe cuts in their public support, I offered to re-write the job, not just proof it, for the usual fee for proofreading. I further recommended that the content offered an opportunity to present some original thinking they could spin off to use in one-on-one solicitations and appeals to governmental agencies to rescue some of their funding. This sort of re-purposing is always efficient, but it was particularly appropriate for this client at this particular time. This was a successful piece of worknot because the client followed all of my recommendations, but because it helped them get more mileage out of content they had struggled with and which eventually became much more useful than they originally realized. I felt good about the accomplishment because my clients ultimate customers stood to receive benefits that might otherwise have simply disappeared.