Writing Services
How can I help bring your story, idea, announcement or brand message to the world? The writing services I offer run the gamut from corporate to creative, depending on your focus and goals. Contact me today for a free 30-minute consult to talk about your vision in general or any of the services below. Writing services include (but are not limited to):
- copywriting and web content
- ghostwriting
- blog writing
- personal histories
- business/corporate histories
- corporate communications
- press releases
- bios
- news articles
- guest blogging
Writing Samples
Blog Writing
The Case for Community Newspapers: What is the value of local news? [LINK]
How do you stay informed about what’s happening in the world? How do you stay informed about what’s going on in your community? Where do you get your news these days?
These are critical questions I’m passionate about pursuing, because, as we all know, the state of news in our country is changing dramatically. Strong labels come with just about every national news source – CNN, FOX, NBC, MSNBC. And when was the last time you heard someone praise their local newspaper?
News on the national front is more polarized than ever. News on the local front is disappearing. That, to me, is scary.
In an article earlier this year, the [Wall Street Journal] reported that nearly 1,800 newspapers closed between 2004 and 2018. Collectively, the closures left 200 counties without newspapers.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that newspaper jobs declined by 60 percent between 1990 and 2016. Newsroom employees – the people who actually report the news – declined by 45 percent between 2008 and 2017, a [Pew study] found. Yet another Pew study found that 71% of Americans believed local news outlets were doing well financially, though only 14% actually paid for local news.
These stark numbers beg the question: What value does our society place on local news?
[READ MORE]
Content Writing
Where will Netflix turn for its growing translation needs?
When Netflix went global in 2016, it knew it was going to need one service in a huge way – translation. The global content streaming giant that began as an online movie rental site in the late 90s was preparing to launch its service into 130 countries simultaneously. The need for professional linguists across the globe was huge; the time was fast approaching when English would no longer be the primary viewing experience on Netflix, the media giant predicted.
But a global expansion would require an untold amount of content localization and translation of new material in multiple languages. Who would fill that void, and how?
[READ MORE]
Magazine Writing
Laptops. Email. Texting. In today’s ever-evolving technological age, the future of cursive handwriting in schools hangs in the balance. What does it mean? What would a school without cursive handwriting built into its curriculum look like? How would a lack of cursive handwriting influence future generations? Is cursive coming to a close? And if it is, is it a bad thing?
[READ MORE]
From Cafes to Cubicles: A Bittersweet Look Back at the LION Mint
Movie star John Wayne was born in Winterset, a small, quiet town in central Iowa. Winterset is iconic for another reason. It’s situated in Madison County–yes, the Madison County. “The Bridges of Madison County,” Clint Eastwood’s 1995 movie, was filmed here.
Winterset has a Lions club, of course. The club has ably served the community since 1939. It wasn’t hard to know the club was there. All you had to do was stroll into the Northside Café, pluck down quarter or two and grab a roll of Lion mints, prominently displayed on the counter by the register. That’s what Sheri Holliday, 49, now a Lion for nearly 15 years, did as a teenager.
[READ MORE]
Family Tribute
Pay it Forward as Gene Lund Turns 90 [LINK]
Anyone who know my grandma, Gene Lund, knows that she is a doer.
“It’s got to be done.”
Even 450 miles away in Kansas City, where I live with my own family, I easily picture her shaking her head, pursing her lips, and uttering those words. It’s got to be done.
The flowers need to be planted.
The decorations for the upcoming season must be put out.
Phone calls for the coffee party have to be made. The coffee cake for said party has to be assembled. She has to sign the get wall card she found at Econo Foods – “It has just the right words!” she’ll say – for an acquaintance who is home from the hospital.
[READ MORE]
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