A talented singer and musician, my spouse is an auditory thinker. He is a gifted writer and types at lightning speed, but often, he instinctually spells words based on the way they sound. The approach works well for locutions like “market” or “record”, but is less effective with a word like, well, “locution”.

I try not to tease him about his creative constructs, but he gladly kids me about my anal-retentive approach to text. (Admittedly, I have been known to gripe about typos on menus and instruction manuals with dangling participles.) So, I was both relieved and comforted when I recently discovered a group of like-minded wordsmiths at The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG, for short).

The following excerpt from the SPOGG Website captures the humor and vision of its creators, and offers a warm welcome to those with a punctilious personality like mine:

There are huge problems in this world, and then there are problems that can be solved by everyday people with red pens and a little moxie.

The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar is for pen-toters appalled by wanton displays of Bad English. (And we’re not talking about Bad English, the band, although their song “Heaven is a 4 letter word” needs a hyphen.)

SPOGG is for people who crave good, clean English — sentences cast well and punctuated correctly. It’s about clarity. And who knows how many of the world’s huge problems could be solved if we had a little more of that?

Ah, at last a refuge from this crazy, mixed-up world of text messages and linguistic short-hand! A safe haven from the jargon of Fortune 500 companies and verbosity of new media ventures! A place where people appreciate crisp, uncluttered writing, and members are lauded for their use of proper punctuation. I can find solace in the blog posts, and vicariously vent my frustration at the lack of good grammar usage in modern society.

Plus, they have really cute T-shirts.

When you are interviewing consultants for a freelance writing opportunity, the more preparation you do prior to the meeting, the better the final outcome will be. Why? Because you can set clear expectations, minimize misunderstandings, and help ensure that the project will be delivered on time and on budget.

When I arrived at my meeting this afternoon, the client was prepared with a binder of background materials related to the project. She was able to show me existing marketing collateral, the template for the company’s new website, and a list of major competitors. She was also able to answer all of my questions about how the project would take shape without missing a beat.

If you are thinking of working with a freelance writer, here are some questions you should be prepared to address during that initial meeting:

• Who is the point person? Will the writer be sending copy to you for review, or to someone else involved with the project?
• Who are the key decision makers? Does just one person need to sign off on the project? Or, does the copy need to go through a committee or get approval from the Compliance department?
• What are the sources of background information? Will you be supplying those (e.g., providing existing marketing collateral or scheduling interviews with subject matter experts)? Or, is the consultant responsible for conducting any research needed for the project?
• What is the deadline for delivery? You may need to work backwards from your launch date (e.g., when you want the printed brochures in hand or the Website to go live) to build in time for production, legal approval, revisions after the initial review, etc.
• What is your budget? Would you prefer hourly billing (perhaps with a cap) or a flat project fee? Can you authorize the expense, or do you need approval from someone in your firm?

The more prepared you are when you interview a freelance writer, the more smoothly the project will run. Everybody will be on the same page regarding the deliverables, and in the end, you will look like a star for finding the right person to get the job done. 

You see, my husband Craig is the singer for the Dallas party band “Big-T and the Bada-Bings.” We met when the band released its debut CD, Born to be Wild, and he sent a reviewer’s copy to ATOMIC Magazine (of which I was editor-in-chief at the time). Actually, he didn’t just send one CD, he sent two — one was autographed to yours truly. Then, he stalked me. 

But, that’s a story for another time.

Back to the matter at hand. Craig is not only an amazingly gifted big band singer, but also a talented IT expert. So, for the past few weeks, we set about search engine optimizing his Website by changing the text on several pages. And, that brings me to today’s tip…

Focusing on search engine optimization (SEO) can help drive traffic to your website by improving your site’s ranking in the major search engines, such as Google and Yahoo! In our case, we targeted key phrases, like Dallas big band and Dallas party band, so the website will come up higher when people search for those terms. (Go ahead, try it. I dare you.)

In addition, you can improve your rankings in the search engines by focusing on a particular niche when chosing which key words or phrases to include. For example, if you target “accounting firm”, your site will be competing with 100,000+ others for the same term. Consequently, you might come up as listing number 11,486 in Google. But, if you narrow your SEO term to “Miami accounting firm”, you can rank significantly higher — even landing in the top 10.

Of course, you don’t want search engine optimized text to stick out like a sore thumb. You need to weave key phrases into the rest of the body copy so everything flows smoothly. And, the copy still has to motivate visitors to explore the other pages of your website, especially if you’re promoting a product or service and want to increase sales.

A writer who is experienced with SEO will be able to offer guidance on improving your site’s visibility in the major search engines. Targeting specific key words and phrases is not the only way to improve your rankings — you also want to look at things like headlines and metatags. But, when used right, SEO text can have a positive impact on the popularity of your web page.

And, just like with my first diary, I don’t have much to say right now. But, stay tuned! Exciting adventures and ponderous musings soon to come….

If you have any questions or would like to get a quote on a project, please email me at leslie@lesliejthompson.com.

Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files: 

Still, I very much enjoy writing general interest pieces, a few samples of which I have posted below. (Leslie Rosenberg is my maiden name.) To get a quote on a project, please email me at leslie@lesliejthompson.com.

Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files:

Although I may not be a brain surgeon, I’ve interviewed several. I have also spoken with cancer patients, and shared their experience and insights for the benefit of others struggling with the disease. I hope you enjoy these samples of my medical writing. (Some articles are under my maiden name, Leslie Rosenberg.)

To request a quote on a project, please email me at leslie@lesliejthompson.com.

Medical articles

Cure Magazine - Overcoming Depression
Neurology Reviews - The Oldest Alzheimer’s Patients
Neurology Reviews - Seizure-Related Brain Damage

Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files of these articles:

A few of my recent (and not-so-recent) financial articles are posted below. (Some are under my maiden name, Leslie Rosenberg.)

To request a project quote, please email me at leslie@lesliejthompson.com.

Financial Articles

Horsesmouth.com - Coaching Insights from an Award-Winning Manager
Horsesmouth.com - Secrets to a Successful Support Staff
Horsesmouth.com - 10 Time-Saving Strategies for Branch Managers
AdvisorMax.com - Serving the Middle Market
AdvisorMax.com - Hiring the Perfect Advisor to Complement Your Staff
AdvisorMax.com - 5 Best Practices to Increase Client Referrals
Registered Rep - Remember My Values, Not Just My Wealth
MultexInvestor.com - The Big Squeeze

Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files:

Here are a few articles I have written related to current trends in education–specifically, reading and math. You can find additional samples of my education writing in the Marketing Collateral section.

To get a quote on a project, please email me at leslie@lesliejthompson.com.

Education articles 

Repairing a Broken Foundation (Middle School Math)
An Agent of Change (Reading Intervention)
Profile of Dr. Roland Goode
Educational Reforms in Philadelphia

Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files: