Write On.....

As I enter the final module for my Master’s in Marketing, I can tell you how important it is to develop strong writing skills. Of course, you have to be able to dissect the research on a topic and document your evidence carefully. But the hardest part is understanding how to turn all of that information into good writing — concise sentences that make perfect sense and well-organized paragraphs that are easy to follow.

I’m sure you know what I mean because you face this problem in your day-to-day activities: drafting letters, proposals, contracts, web postings (the list goes on). With all this down time, it could be a good opportunity to work on improving your writing skills, or those of your corporate team.

I recommend checking out WriteSmart.org, which has been providing remote writing and editing programs for people in business, government, and education since the 1990s. Mike McClory — WriteSmart’s veteran writing coach — is currently offering free online training for people who are working from any location, home or office.

When I asked Mike to edit a proposal I was struggling with a few years ago, I was amazed by the quality and professionalism of his work. Mike went beyond correcting errors and revising loosely developed paragraphs. He dug beneath the surface and managed to find the words and phrases that expressed exactly what I was trying to say. Mike also acted as an online writing coach for my daughter when she was in school. With his experience as an editor for two different monthly publications, he was able to introduce her to professional writing techniques that didn’t get covered in her English classes.

You can reach out to Mike McClory on LinkedIn or check out WriteSmart.org and see for yourself.