Simple Proofreading Process with a Big Name: Ratiocination
Thanks to Alise Isbell for contributing this wonderful post on a very interesting proofreading method. You're bound to catch more errors if you do this! Ratiocination is a miracle that changed the way I write and edit. While not a professional writer, my company trains people how to write more effectively, and ratiocination helps. Webster’s Dictionary defines ratiocina...
January 29, 2010 READ MORE
Eight Proofreading Mistakes that Count!
How’s this for a proofreading horror story: Because of a teeny little typo, people calling for a free cab service on New Year’s Eve ended up connecting with an “adult” chat line instead. Oops. That’s the kind of mistake that most likely ends in a lost client and a very, very unhappy boss. Proofreading is about more than making sure you’ve caught spelling and p...
January 26, 2010 READ MORE
Why You Should Be Googling Yourself: 3 Tips for Online Reputation Management
Image via Wikipedia A lot of marketers will tout the benefits of social media marketing for businesses: You’ve probably heard that businesses actually have two different reputations, online and offline. The same goes for individuals – everyone who’s a member of a social networking site has an online presence. When dealing with the Internet, you have to be proacti...
January 23, 2010 READ MORE
Ten Words to Learn How to Spell in 2010
Make any resolutions this year? I’m going to propose you make one more: Polish your emails. Write flawless notes. Look smarter. Check out this hilarious cartoon on The Oatmeal’s site, Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling. It outlines some of the most commonly misspelled words (and yes, even the best of us make these mistakes sometimes) in a fun, entertaining way. St...
January 11, 2010 READ MORE
Putting the Kibosh on Chillaxing, Czars, and More
I don’t know about you, but I gag just a little when someone talks about a ‘teachable moment’ – and, evidently, so do the folks at Lake Superior State University. Teachable moment is just one of the entries on LSSU’s 2010 list of words that should be banned from our vocabulary due to “mis-use, over-use, and general uselessness.” LSSU’s tongue-in-cheek list ...
January 8, 2010 READ MORE
Books for Writers: Six Books to Inspire and Inform
Need a creative boost? A good laugh? A few style pointers? Maybe you’re into science fiction or mysteries. Perhaps you prefer nonfiction or graphic novels or biographies. Or fantasy novels. But whatever you’re into, if you’re a writer, you probably love books about writing. This week, I thought I’d share a few of my recent favorites. I’ve put together a list of...
January 7, 2010 READ MORE
Barb Adams is an award-winning writer with more than 30 years of B2B and technical writing experience. She understands and closely follows the changing dynamics of the oil and gas industry – E&P, midstream, and upstream – and therefore needs minimum ramp up for any new O&G copywriting endeavor. Her portfolio includes hundreds of white papers, case studies, trade articles, op-eds, books, and brochures. Adams has also held positions as staff writer for a Houston agency, public relations manager for a Houston-based retail franchisor, and the advertising and promotions coordinator for a Minnesota-based hospitality company. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism.
Stacy Clifford is a wearer of many hats, both literally and figuratively. Having earned a B.S. in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996, his career has covered environmental cleanup, software testing, web development, technical support, copy editing and proofreading, and martial arts instruction. He has been proofreading since 3rd grade English with Mrs. Barry, corrected every stripe of web copy for over 15 years, copy edited both fiction and non-fiction books, and written on subjects as diverse as volcanology, sword fighting, and space colonization. A fixer by nature, Stacy is a stickler for structure and form and enjoys a good challenge whipping a document into shape. When not tackling the worlds problems or teaching people how to stab each other, Stacy enjoys pencil drawing and hiking in the national parks.
Flori, who has more than 25 years of writing experience, began her career in suburban Detroit as a community newspaper reporter. She has worked as a neighborhood news editor for the Houston Chronicle and as a copywriter for Powell Public Relations. During more than 10 years as a freelance writer, her projects included newspaper and magazine articles, press releases, brochure and website copy, Request for Proposal (RFP) responses, and grant applications. Her clients have included Galveston Monthly magazine, Weddings in Houston magazine, Judy Nichols & Associates (public relations) and NCIC Phone Services, along with nonprofit organizations, Lifeway International and Newspring. Since joining The Writers For Hire, Flori has assisted with social media campaigns and written blog posts, articles, press releases, brochures, and web copy.
Flori has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oakland University.
With a Bachelor of Science in Language Arts from Georgetown University and 20 years of editorial experience, Erin brings a passion for words and well-crafted writing to every project. As a writer, she revels in the opportunity to create vibrant original copy and rejuvenate tired text. She has written on a range of topics, in a variety of styles, and for an array of platforms. As an editor, proofreader, translator, and trusted second set of eyes, she has helped clients from around the world enhance their writing. A self-proclaimed editorial perfectionist, Erin once canceled a credit card because of a grammatically incorrect form letter, which she edited and promptly sent back to the company. (Incidentally, she wasn’t surprised to receive no response.)
Morgan has worked in marketing and communications for more than eight years, with a primary focus on copywriting and content creation. Throughout her years of experience, she has written and edited almost every kind of copy imaginable – magazine articles, blog posts, website copy, brochures, press releases, nonfiction books, newsletter articles, brand guidelines, and more – for both B2B and B2C audiences in a wide array of industries, including energy, technology, finance, healthcare, education, travel, retail, and more. In addition to her creative skills, Morgan has technical expertise in HTML coding and utilizing content management systems (e.g. WordPress) and email platforms, such as MailChimp, ExactTarget, and Constant Contact. With a lifelong interest in language, it is not surprising that Morgan has a bachelor’s degree in German and Linguistics from Rice University, where she studied more than eight languages. In 2011, she received her master’s degree in Advertising from The University of Texas, where she was accepted into the elite Texas Creative Program for her copywriting skills. In her free time, Morgan enjoys writing personalized picture books for friends and family.
Melanie Green is a Tampa-based writer and editor, with a focus on digital marketing content. She has more than 15 years of experience writing professionally, including time spent as a full-time employee of McKinsey & Company, Nielsen, and The Business Observer. She loves to write blog posts, website pages, press releases, RFPs, and whitepapers for companies of all sizes in the United States.
She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in screenwriting from National University in La Jolla, California, and her Bachelor of Arts in Writing from the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida.
Carol Kim is a versatile freelance copywriter who specializes in content marketing, blog posts, website content, and email marketing for business clients. She especially enjoys diving into research and discovering what makes every company unique. Carol holds a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and a Master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin.
Carol is also a children’s book author, having written several fiction and nonfiction books for the educational market. She especially loves helping kids learn about the environment and social sciences. Her first nonfiction picture book from a trade publisher is due to be released in fall 2021.
Martha Scott’s technical writing career began on a contract at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. She edited papers for scientific journal publication, documents for departments across the site, and a book about a proposed crew escape vehicle. She produced a yearly booklet describing Shuttle contract cost-saving measures, the mission managers’ Flight Data Pack, and a 45-page booklet called Charting a Course to the Year 2000 and Beyond describing plans to develop additional space vehicles and prepare for manned Mars explorations. At Invesco, Martha edited and contributed to two company newsletters (online and hardcopy). She wrote software user manuals, Help files, Training and Benefits department documents, and, finally, shareholder reports. She returned to aerospace for the Shuttle Program’s last 5 years where she attended and produced detailed descriptions of presentations and subsequent discussions at the Orbiter Configuration Control Board’s weekly meetings. She also documented crew debriefings for 17 flights. Martha’s most recent experience was on Jacobs Engineering’s contract with a Texas City refinery for which she wrote and edited Engineering, Safety, Inspection, and Information Systems documents.
Brenda Hazzard has over 30 years’ experience working as a writer and editor in the private and public sectors. She spent over 20 years working for the US Government in Washington and abroad, and spent several years working with the CIA during which she managed a team of writers producing internal briefs on international news, events, and politics. She writes on a variety of topics but loves opportunities to work on projects that cater to her keen interest in international affairs. She considers herself to be an empathetic editor, one who improves a draft but lets the spirit of the writer shine through. She has also worked on dissertations, white papers, newspaper articles, and family histories.
Cecile enjoys the challenge of discovering each client’s unique strengths and presenting them to a wider audience. Since joining The Writers For Hire, she has worked on blogs, newsletters, RFPs, end-user documentation, email, social media, sales pages, biographies, op-eds, and fiction.
Previously, she taught in Shenzhen, China and obtained an HSK3 (Intermediate Mandarin) certificate. Cecile enjoys gaming, drawing, producing short films, and growing fifteen different varieties of apples with Serenity Orchards.
Rosalind Stanley grew up on the Coast of Maine and then accidentally spent fifteen years in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, before moving to the Midwest. She graduated from Lynchburg College in 2008 with a B.A. in Creative Writing (and a minor in Theater Performance); ever since, Rosalind has endeavored to make writing a part of her daily life, whether creative or technical, whether as a volunteer or an employee. She has tutored students, taught workshops, edited fiction and non-fiction books, and worked as a beta reader and a legal writer. She also publishes a newsletter on Substack, where she releases her own fiction serially. When not writing, Rosalind is busy homeschooling her four children and raiding the local library for new fiction.
