Writing
The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
Good writing is always hard work. Translating your thoughts into words on paper takes a lot of preparation and patience—and at least some glancing out the window, hitting the delete key, and trying again. There are few shortcuts, and it can be difficult to shift into the writer’s deliberative mindset if you spend your day geared for everyday minutiae, quick decisions, or crisis management.
For most writing projects I draft text from the ground up with the aid of a client’s outline or notes, or from my own research or interviews. On occasion I’ll rework or expand a piece that’s rough, incomplete, or in need of new life. Below are summary profiles of just a few of my writing projects:
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For a market research and consulting firm specializing in higher education, I co-wrote a 30-page report on adult learners with particular attention to workforce development issues. The task involved source document review, adherence to detailed outline, and incorporation of text drafted by project managers.
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For the same firm, I wrote a white paper on learning management systems. The task involved interviews, online research, incorporation of text drafted by project managers, and careful attention to issues of branding and confidentiality.
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For one of the ten federally funded regional educational laboratories, I drafted 700-word articles on real-world applications of current laboratory research. The task involved source interviews, fact checking, and multiple revisions.
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In developing a 120-page guidebook to local implementation of federal workforce development laws, I researched and wrote an appendix summarizing the legislation, reviewed and copyedited every draft of the complete text, submitted periodic editorial memoranda, and proofread the final document.
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For the writing of summary and project overview sections for a grant proposal in the area of curriculum development, I took notes at project team meetings, compiled and edited contributions to the proposal text from team members, investigated bibliographic sources online in order to familiarize myself with relevant concepts, and submitted drafts to team members for approval.
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For a market research and consulting firm in the field of communication technology, I wrote brief research summaries that were published online as heavily illustrated PDFs. The task involved an awareness of the client's customers' interests, adherence to strict character counts, and a focus on distilling complex findings into brief colloquial nuggets.