FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Though I know what I like to earn per hour, every project is unique. It is very difficult to set a specific price because each person's needs are different. One person's resume project may require a lot of questions and answers to complete, where another person may just want their details placed nicely visually on a page. One person may want a book to be written and assistance in getting it published, where another person may want a book to be written as a family keepsake. Sometimes I am asked for customized creative keepsakes - like a song or poem especially for a particular person. Since it takes different increments of time to gather detailed information from different clients, in order to provide accurate, satisfactory writing services, a writer cannot provide them without obtaining detailed information. Ideally, I prefer a potential client to call me to discuss their needs before specifying a fee or making a commitment. It may be, after talking, the scope of the project is less than originally suggested by the request posted, and we could accomplish it less expensively.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I talk to the customer, get a feel for their personality and what they wish to convey to their reader / or intended recipient. I customize my services to match the customer's needs. If I don't feel I would be a good fit, I will decline certain projects. The income from writing is secondary to the satisfaction of helping my customer convey their message.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a college education which keeps me working at my grammatical best. My minor was in art, which gives me visual creative skills, especially in commercial art. I was performing vocal music all the way through high school, and getting paid for performances since I attended college. I have many years experience in creative writing, just because I have chosen to do it! People enjoy my writing and my stories. I have wowed a number of clients by understanding the feelings they are expressing, and finding the right words to convey their message to someone they love. Since most of the writing I do these days is creative, the experience and customer response overrides any formal education. However, in prior jobs, I have the training in critical thinking and summarizing complex information into understandable rationales. In situations like these, I am very detail oriented (I was in Quality Assurance), and understand how to back up my theories. When I worked for others, I had to be current on medical information, agency policies, and laws. I needed to know where to find information and how to use it. Being creative and also detail oriented is a very good combination. It can open up lots of possibilities for interesting projects and give clients different types of solutions.