Copyediting vs. Copywriting

Sometimes clients don’t have the budget to hire a writer to handle a project from start to finish. In these cases, it often makes sense to use copyediting services, where a professional editor reviews and cleans up work produced by the client.

We offer different levels of copyediting, depending on a client’s needs and budget.

At its most basic, we scrub the text and clean up spelling, grammar, and punctuation. We also review the copy for stylistic consistency and check basic facts.

In some instances, we recommend more extensive revisions, during which we rewrite the text to improve flow and reduce jargon. We also add our marketing expertise to the mix and recast information to appeal to the target audience.

When it comes to suggesting marketing strategy and strengthening the copy with juicy, convincing proof, the project moves into the realm of copywriting. Here, we take over the project and apply our full creative faculties to help clients increase revenue through profitable persuasion. It’s a different level of help – with an entirely different pricing structure.

If you need help but aren’t sure what type, give us a shout. We’re happy to discuss the project and your goals at no cost. And if we’re not a good fit, we’ll recommend someone who can better meet your needs.

Brilliant Beginnings

As I write this, it’s January 12 – or January 13, depending on your geography. (Since I’m presently flying over Alaska toward Japan, I feel caught between dates.) Regardless, we’re darn close to the start of the New Year. New resolutions, new beginnings.

For Mom and me, it’s the start of our latest adventure: three weeks in Taiwan with family.

For me and my business (and my writing life), today also marks the start of this new blog.

Beginnings always create unrealistic expectations of greatness. We feel the need to show our brilliance. This nasty pressure especially plagues writers, who so often give up on their craft because they’re disappointed with early attempts.

It’s okay to suck.

In Bird by Bird, one of the best books on writing I’ve ever read, Anne Lamott says it’s okay to write “really [crappy] first drafts.”

This isn’t just sound advice; it’s almost a universal mandate. Papa Hemingway himself said, “The first draft of anything is [doodoo].”

You have to write the garbage to get the gold.

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing the Great American Novel, a sales letter, or an e-book. With very rare exception, our first attempts fall way short of brilliance.

Sure, these initial scribblings may get the job done. Writing a memo to your boss? Just the facts will probably suffice.

But if you really want your writing to stand out, you must embrace the art of the rewrite.