Technical Writer and Editor
Over the past 20 years I have done a fair amount of technical writing and technical editing for companies and corporations. In fact, my first two office jobs were:
- Technical writer, working on a software user's manual and help system.
- Marketing assistant for a software firm, editing product press releases and the company newsletter.
I have since worked with over two dozen companies on tasks relating to technical writing and technical editing. I have edited and written company newsletters; done research, interviews and reporting for consulting firms; crafted copy for corporate websites; written and published standard operating procedures (SOPs); and more.
Below are a few samples of corporate editing and writing projects I have worked on.
Sample Projects
Training Materials, Brooks International
Brooks International is a large consulting firm based in Florida with projects ranging throughout the United States and Europe. I regularly work with them on their new-client assessments, interviewing executives and staff to find information that will help Brooks help their business partners.
Additionally, I edited and published a set of educational materials for new Brooks employees. The materials include a 300-page training manual, a 200-page workbook and 30 standard operating procedures published in SharePoint.
Survey Report, American Pet Products Association
Biannually the APPA conducts a survey to gauge animal-care routines and the purchasing behaviors of pet owners across America. The result is a 600-page report detailing the trends of a huge industry, revealing the preferences and practices of those who own dogs, cats, mice, horses and so on. I worked with the APPA proofreading and copyediting the report and helping to turn statistical analysis into accessible reading material. My role was intensive, lasting a little more than a week to meet the tight deadlines between culmination and publication.
Product Descriptions, Reckitt Benckiser
Working with the Reckitt Benckiser human resources and marketing departments, I copyedited a manual of product descriptions designed to provide new employees with an understanding of the company’s brands. The project involved ensuring that product summaries were descriptive and comprehensive, and that the language was clear, concise and respectful of proper use of trademarks.
Internal and External Public Relations, Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart was one of the first clients I began working with when starting my business as an independent contractor in 2004. The long-standing relationship includes an assortment of linguistic responsibilities, including writing press releases for the marketing and communications department.
Other projects have included writing new-hire announcements, writing bios for campus-event programs, and writing and editing articles for the university's alumni magazine.
Fletcher Music Centers
Working as a writing consultant to a business consulting firm, I interviewed Fletcher Music's office staff, shipping personel and employees at retail outlets to determine the best practices company-wide. I reported opportunities for alignment to the company president, and wrote and published a complete set of standard operating procedures for all levels of the business.
Technical writer, Symantec Corporation
As half of a two-person writing team, wrote and styled a user's manual for a client/server development tool.
Marketing and SEO Copywriting, AER Control Systems
For several years I have edited, produced and published AER's marketing brochures for their website and sales kits. I have also worked with AER on adjusting their previously existing website content (mostly product descriptions) and creating new content (press releases and articles) to boost their rankings in search engines. In alignment with that goal, I launched and configured a WordPress blog conforming to AER's website design.
SEO copywriting is a specialty within a specialty — anyone with a little knowledge can get a page ranked for a finite time, but a precise and responsible technique is required to create SEO copy that search engines will not classify as spam and that will stay in the search rankings for years to come. I know how to do that.