In your work in business, the law, medicine, consulting, government, or academe, you produce documents of all sizes.
But you also need to focus on your core responsibilities. You can’t get distracted by writing tasks. Every unnecessary hour you spend wrestling with an unruly document is an hour you could be using to focus on your core mission.
So let me ask you: How would you like a seasoned pro by your side to work on reports, memos, proposals, RFPs, speeches, web copy, and more?
I have been doing this work for decades. In government, business, academe, journalism, and publishing, I have played both roles–as a writer and editor. I have also taught writing at Yale and Columbia. Working with writers, clients, and students, I have helped turn messy and confusing and lifeless documents into clear and energetic final works.
Need help? I’ll be there for you. All you need to do is reach out.
You Want Fresh Copy?
I can deliver that too.
Since working as a reporter for Education Week in the 1980s, I have produced news and analysis for a wide range of publications–from the Boston Globe and New York Sun to the Yale School of Management’s case study program to think tanks in Cambridge and New York.
Whether you’re going short or long, I can deliver.
Over the years I have written about politics and policy, business, sports, education, government, cities, planning, and more.
Work Samples
Take a look at some notable articles and reports here. You can see some of my books here.
Or ask to see recent work samples…including major rewrites of troubled documents.
Current Projects
I am working on a number of projects, including:
- Online course: How arts provide the ideal training for leadership. Also: Master of Writing, a complete program for writers in all fields.
- Case studies: Major reports on voting rights in Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, and New York for the Open Society University Network.
- Book: Broken Peace, a new work on Woodrow Wilson’s battle for the League of Nations in 1919.
- Book: The Rules of Activism (now under contract with Polity Press), a comprehensive assessment of the process of political and social movements, with two dozen case studies of key moments in modern American activism.
- Ghostwriting: Writing a book on teaching and learning in the Age of Zoom. Also coaching authors as they work on their manuscripts.
My Promise
When your document gets my “fix,” you get:
- Clarity: As a stylist, I strive to keep things “simple and direct.” Excitement comes in the ideas, not in fancy language or stylistic pyrotechnics.
- Energy: Too often, writing drags. Burdened by passive voice, meaningless adjectives, jargon, and undefined terms, the text forces the reader to work too hard. It’s also boring. And nobody wants boring.
- Synthesis: Professionals shine by mastering complex ideas and processes. That mastery should also appear in documents. You need documents that follow Einstein’s rule: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
- Speed: When you’re on deadline, you need me to be on deadline. You don’t have the time to chase down your writing colleague. You need action.
- Accuracy: Every piece of information in a document has to be accurate. The more complex the topic, the more important is sweating the details.
Think of this as your basic checklist for writing. Stay away from people who cannot deliver on each of these essential needs.
I can deliver on each one. To get started, drop me a line.
Experience
I have written in a wide range of settings–academe, business, government, nonprofits.
Over my career I have written (and edited):
- Countless memos on a wide range of internal topics—simple, clear, direct, to the point.
- Reports and case studies for a wide range of audiences in business, government, and education.
- Proposals and RFPs for government agencies and universities, outlining projects of all scales—and brining in the money to pay for major projects and initiatives.
- Hundreds of articles, from “spot news” to long feature stories, to op-ed articles.
- Hundreds of speeches, lectures, and presentations, for both specialized and general audiences.
- Books on a wide range of topics: the presidency, civil rights, cities, sports, economic development, writing, business, and more.
You can see a collection of my articles, reports, and case studies here. You can see some of my books here.
I have been also taught writing, both at universities and in seminars across the country. I now teach writing at Columbia University and have also taught at Yale, SUNY-Purchase, Holy Cross, and other schools. Why does this matter? Because I can not only deliver, but also explain what I do, how, and why.
Let’s Talk
If you need help—whether you need to “get it done yesterday” or have have longer-term needs—please email here.