- Why hire a technical
writer/editor?
- What's with this "editor"
stuff? That's such a waste of money. I just run the spellchecker
myself and I'm done.
- Why be a telecommuting
freelancer?
- Why no fancy stuff on
your website?
- You've got no samples
or references here... how do I know you aren't a hoax?
- OK, maybe I'll believe
you after all. So, how much do you charge?
Why hire a technical writer/editor?
Time. There just isn't enough of it.
I chose to pursue a career in technical
writing and editing because I enjoy using the written word. I
get a thrill in finding just the right phrase, in sifting through
information and presenting it in a clear and concise manner.
Chances are, you might not feel the same way. You may enjoy the
writing process, or maybe you've always had a hard time getting
the words on paper to say what you want them to say.
In either case, hiring a technical writer/editor
for your writing needs means you save time and energy otherwise
spent wrangling with the document you need to put together.
Back to FAQ list.
What's with this "editor" stuff? That's
such a waste of money. I just run the spellchecker myself and
I'm done.
Many people do consider using an editor
to be a luxury. But any time you create a technical document,
be it grant proposal, research article, business plan, or software
documentation, you expect others to read and use it to make some
decision about your work (Should I invest in this company? Is
this research plan viable and worthy of part of our research
budget? When it comes time to upgrade, should I stick with this
software?)
However, spellcheckers won't catch mistakes
with homonyms (be vs. bee). They won't catch subtle name differences
(perpetual motion machine vs. perpetual-motion machine). Don't
forget style and formatting issues: Are all your headings in
the same form (verb phrases, noun phrases, capitalized, questions)?
Do all your bulleted lists have the same form (complete sentences
with/without periods, phrases). Are there mathematical typos
(2 to the 14th power represented as 16834 rather than 16384)?
Lastly, is your text as clear and precise
as it can be? Are some parts too wordy? Are there simpler ways
of explaining your basic premise?
You and your co-workers may have looked
at your document so much that you've got text burnout. You know
what it's supposed to say, so you miss some mistakes. A fresh
pair of eyes helps prevent those mistakes from remaining on the
final copy.
Back to FAQ list.
Why be a telecommuting freelancer?
I'm at a point in my life where working
from home is the ideal (when is it not?). Telecommuting allows
me the flexibility to work whenever and wherever is best both
for me and my clients. Everything I need is right in my home
office (hardware, software, peripherals), and you might just
catch me working at 6:30 am or 11:45 pm (without rancor!).
I freelance because I like the independence,
and my work varies a whole lot more than if I walked into an
office every day and performed my editing and writing for one
particular business. It also gives me the option to ramp up or
ramp down my professional obligations as needed to line up with
the non-professional aspects of my life.
Back to FAQ list.
Why no fancy stuff
on your website?
Frames, javascript, applets, etc. These
might be called eye candy, but I'm more concerned with the interest
decay created by long-loading pages. Soon I'll provide a link
to some fancy pages, to show that I can produce them. Check back
to take a look. I just choose not to inflate my little site with
them at this time.
As to my comfort level with HTML, I have
to be honest with you: I used PageMill to generate this site,
but I found I was much happier when I'd go in and plug away in
the source code. Nothing like getting a little dirt under your
fingernails to get something just right.
Back to FAQ list.
You've got no samples
or references here... how do I know you aren't a hoax?
The nature of my work prohibits much of
it from being displayed online: manuscripts out on review, system
documentation written or edited under non-disclosure agreements,
that sort of thing.
You can take a look at the materials
I worked on while I was at Apple. Find a description
of them in my history, then follow the link to the actual documents.
If you are interested in references, send
me an email, and I will hook you up with some clients who would
gladly provide comments on my work. I don't provide their names
online because I respect their privacy. And to keep repeat clients,
you sure don't want them to get spammed!
Back to FAQ list.
OK, maybe I'll believe
you after all. So, how much do you charge?
I choose to charge per hour (or per page
for editing) rather than per job because it makes it much easier
for everyone to understand exactly where the limits are. A project
requiring three revisions will take more time than a project
requiring one revision, for example. Billing by the hour or page
ensures that costs reflect that fact. Contact
me and we can discuss the details of your project.
Back to FAQ list.
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