Posts tagged: working writers

Working Writers: Tom Albrighton

June 13, 2012, by 2 comments
Tom Albrighton, Working Writer

Tom Albrighton, Freelance Copywriter

I seem to have a thing for U.K. copywriters; today’s Working Writer interview features Tom Albrighton of ABC Copywriting, a seven-year freelancer with a nice copywriting blog and an odd aversion to writing in text editors (spoiler alert!).

Tom Albrighton, Working Writer

Tom Albrighton of ABC Copywriting.

 

Given his preferences and our emails, I believe I’d enjoy having a beer with Tom, though unless he’s in possession of a lot of frequent flier miles and is willing to pay for the beer, it’s not happening anytime soon.

Like most working writers, he’s developed a job-tracking system that helps him stay on top the year’s activity. His ability to get clean audio from a phone call is worth a read (though I hear a lot of people are using Skype for the same thing).

Welcome to our latest edition of Working Writers.

Tell Us Who You Are and What You Do

I worked at a non-fiction publisher and a small design studio before I was made redundant in 2005 and decided to try freelancing. Seven years on, I’m still trying it!

After a couple of years trading under my own name, I incorporated as ABC Copywriting. I write all kinds of copy for firms throughout the UK and around the world – websites, brochures, adverts, taglines and so on. I also work with a number of agencies and help academics (often non-native English speakers) with their papers and articles.

What Hardware & Software Do You Use?

My work machine is a strange beast. The core of it is a Mac Mini with an entry-level Benq monitor (didn’t want to splash out on a Cinema Display). I used to buy iMacs, until I realised I was throwing away a perfectly good display every few years when all I really needed was a faster processor.

Hooked up to that is an extremely old Apple Extended Keyboard that was originally part of a Mac IIci (ask your parents, kids). It’s a proper ‘clicky’ keyboard, with ALP mechanical switches, and an absolute joy to use. The day I discovered it would work (via a UDP/USB adaptor) was one of the happiest of my life.

I do all my writing in Word. It’s like an old friend who’s changed a lot since you first knew them, but you stick with them anyway. It has its faults, but its strong points outweigh them. I don’t have a lot of time for people posturing about using TextEdit or whatever — for longer copy work, Word is the only choice. And its checking and readability tools are invaluable if there’s no-one else looking at your work before it goes out.

I often record phone conversations as a way to grab hold of raw information from the client. For that, I use the THAT-2, a commercial-standard device that radio stations use to get the cleanest possible sound. Cheaper alternatives are available, but I found them useless. The audio goes into the Mac Mini where I record it with Audacity and export it as an MP3.

Transcribing the MP3s is made far easier and quicker with Sizzlin’ Keys, which lets you control iTunes via the keyboard without leaving your current app. I use F13=play/pause, F11=jump back five seconds and F12=jump forward five seconds; it quickly becomes completely intuitive.

I don’t have a smartphone. Instead I have a super-simple Nokia, which is for conversations and nothing else. I do all the smartphone-type messing about on an iPad. However, I rarely write anything on it beyond the occasional email.

I also have a MacBook Pro that I sometimes use for writing when I want to change venue. I transfer files with Dropbox, which must be one of the best free apps ever published.

Any Special Copywriting or Workflow Tricks To Share?

I keep track of all my active projects in an Excel spreadsheet that shows client, project, status and price. That’s as near as I get to a forward schedule or a cash flow forecast, but it works for me.

For day-to-day ‘to dos’ I use BusyCal. It’s the calendar app that iCal wishes it was. I particularly like the way completed to-dos are automatically entered on the calendar, so you can see at a glance what you’ve achieved each day and each week. It also shows the weather, which Brits are of course obsessed with.

I always enter comments in my text – not as proper Word comments, but as interpolations in the actual text, using a different style sheet. I find this useful for explaining what I’ve done (or why), flagging up issues or requesting additional information. It’s a way of managing expectations and talking the client through the text the very first time they read it.

What Pieces of the Puzzle Are You Missing?

I never learned to touch-type, so although I’m reasonably fast I do make a lot of mistakes. If I could wave a magic wand to put that right, I would.

I’m still using the chair I bought when I started freelancing, which is appallingly cheap and (now) worn out. I don’t mind investing in a decent one, but it’s such a high-stakes decision. How can you tell whether you’ll enjoy sitting in a chair for years and years?

Just The Facts

Name: Tom Albrighton
Website: ABC Copywriting
Blog: ABC Copywriting Blog
Twitter: @tomcopy
LinkedIn: ABCcopywriting

Working Writers: Graham Strong

June 7, 2012, by 6 comments
Graham Strong's website

Graham Strong, Copywriter & Novelist

I first stumbled across freelance copywriter Graham Strong after reading his useful copywriting blog, which he promptly discontinued, turning it into a novel-in-progress blog that was infinitely more interesting. Copywriters who live in more than one writing world are interesting to me, and Strong is one of those people.

A freelance copywriter for more than 17 years, he’s demonstrated an ability to both make a living and stay sane doing it, and you might gather — after reading his workflow tips — he does so in a fairly orderly way.

Welcome to another edition of Working Writers.

Tell Us Who You Are and What You Do (briefly)

My name is Graham Strong and I’m a freelance copywriter and budding novelist. I am a confirmed generalist, mostly for the sake of my own sanity. I am known (in certain circles) for my medical copywriting, though I also write press releases, brochure content, web content, case studies, and pretty much anything else.

Graham Strong's website

Graham Strong's working website

 

I love the fact I can explain the science behind flow cytometry in the morning, and then write about significance of Drew Barrymore’s butterfly tattoo in the afternoon.

I write in a variety of industries including design/build, mining, medical, small business, transcription — even the restaurant business.

What Hardware & Software Do You Use?

Last year I moved into a laptop — an Acer Phenom II — running Windows 7. I use a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard and an Asus 32” monitor, which has helped save the ol’ eyes and is great for ebook/magazine/newsletter/brochure layout.

On the road I use an HP netbook, but I am currently experimenting with an iPad using a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and some kind of Office emulator (CloudOn or Documents to Go – not sure of the exact software yet). I haven’t decided how well this will work, but initial use looks promising.

Another important piece of office “hardware” is my ergonomic office chair. I write with my feet up on my desk, which I find saves my back and my legs during hours at the keyboard. (Yeah, I know what it looks like. But try it — your feet and back will love you by the end of the day. Nobody’s peering into my windows anyway…)

I also recently got an iPhone, which I have connected to my email and calendar. It makes taking off from the office so much easier because now I don’t have to find a place with WiFi to check email throughout the day — in fact I can use it as a personal WiFi hotspot for my netbook or iPad as need be. Rounding out the hardware: a Sony digital recorder for interviews.

For software, Microsoft Word is at the heart of all my writing. I actually don’t mind it, though I don’t really put it through any stringent expectations. I use it for writing and that’s about it. I don’t do a whole lot of document formatting in Word (though when I’ve tried, it has driven me nuts). If I’m producing an ebook, I’ll export the text to InDesign.

I use Google Docs for sharing “live” documents.

My invoicing system is pretty basic: Excel spreadsheet to track, Word template to create the actual invoice, and Acrobat to convert it to PDF. I track time using MultiTrack Stopwatch and record it in Timesheets MTS which uses a MS Access database, so it’s easy to do a lot of the functions right at the database level, which I like.

Dropbox for syncing my netbook, Google Calendar for booking meetings/deadlines, Digital Voice Editor 3 (came with the recorder) for reviewing audio files, Google Chrome for browsing, and Thunderbird for email.

My favourite iPhone/iPad apps aren’t that flashy either: GMail for my secondary (backup) email, Facebook, HootSuite (for Twitter). I love Flipboard, though I haven’t used it to its fullest potential. I’m always open to interesting new apps.

Any Special Copywriting or Workflow Tricks To Share?

  1. I keep everything organized by project. Even if I have several “tasks” from the same client, I assign each task a project number, starting with the year, e.g. 122356. I don’t restart the numbers each year. When a project is complete, I move it into an archive folder, again sorted by year, so I can find it more easily when/if I need to in the future.

  2. When writing or editing “by committee” (ugh), I work with the main contact person first to nail down the text, and then send that polished text up the chain as need be. Usually, the main contact person is the expert in this field, so the meat of the text will be correct. That way, the only changes I’m likely to get further up the chain are little nuance changes from an organizational perspective.

  3. I email everything to create a paper trail. If I chat on the phone for two minutes, I follow up with an email. This doesn’t have to be a “mini-minutes” by any means. It could be as simple as, “Oh, by the way, when we talked about this today, I forgot to ask, should we be doing this too?” I don’t do this for every little “how’s the weather” phone conversation, but I find it’s a good habit for those crucial project points, especially things like deadlines and changes in project direction done on the fly.

  4. I always befriend administrative assistants. I’m generally a pretty polite, friendly guy anyway, but I’ve seen people ignore or (worse) condescend to assistants. As Julia Roberts would say, huge mistake. If you’re working with anyone in a C-level or similar position, admin assistants can make access to them as easy — or as difficult — as they like.

What Pieces of the Puzzle Are You Missing?

I’m pretty happy where I am at the moment, with a few exceptions.

For example, I wish I could say I’m a Mac person, but I just can’t justify spending all that money to convert. The hardware is a big enough chunk, but when you factor in all the software, it’s a big hit to take. I may compromise by getting one of those nifty PC ultrabooks I’ve heard so much about.

I’ll also say that there are little nagging things, especially software-wise, that could be ironed out. I wouldn’t call myself a Windows person, but there isn’t a viable alternative (for me — I know some people like Linux, etc. but too much work for me)

That being said, I can’t envision a better system – I’ll just know it when I see it.

Oh, one other thing. I’m scouting treadmills that I can convert to hold a laptop or perhaps my iPad/keyboard setup. I figure if I can do an hour or so of work everyday while on the treadmill, I’ll be doing myself the world of good.

Just The Facts

Graham Strong
Copywriting website
Novel blog

Working Writers: Daryl Lang, Senior Copywriter

May 31, 2012, by 4 comments
Daryl Lang

Daryl Lang, Shutterstock Senior Copywriter

Daryl Lang

Daryl Lang

I’ve been less than complimentary about the state of the copywriting blogosphere, so when I found Daryl Lang — who writes the independent and thoughtful Breaking Copy blog — you could say I recognized his thinking:

Yet while all this is happening, the conversation about copywriting has been hijacked by people pitching products and services of dubious value. Do a search for “copywriting blog” and most of what you’ll find are businesses selling technology products, like online courses, search engine optimization and quick-fix marketing schemes.

Lang is a senior copywriter for Shutterstock, and in the interest of wanting to get things done, he’s indulging in a social-media free summer. Welcome to this issue of Working Writers.

Tell Us Who You Are and What You Do (briefly)

I’m Daryl Lang and I edit a blog about copywriting called Breaking Copy. At my day job I’m the senior copywriter on the in-house creative team at Shutterstock, a stock image and video site. I started out as a newspaper reporter, worked as an editor at a trade magazine for photographers, and also edited catalogs and product packaging for a home products company.

What Hardware & Software Do You Use?

At work, they have me on a Macbook Air with a big Apple display. It’s a good setup because we often have working meetings in conference rooms, where it’s helpful to have a laptop in front of you. At home, I use a Mac Mini hooked up to an old Sony monitor and a big HDTV on the wall. I’m not picky about computers, but I’m a bit of a snob about my keyboard at home — it’s a Unicomp Spacesaver M. So nice to type on.

I use fairly standard software. Microsoft Word or Apple Pages for writing, BBEdit or TextWrangler for code, Adobe Creative Suite for graphics. I use WordPress for my blog and I use Google Docs when I need to collaborate on a document.

Probably my oddest habit with computers is keeping a log of all the work I do in one, giant plain-text file. I start a new file every January. It comes in handy to have a list of everything I’ve done and when I did it.

Any Special Copywriting or Workflow Tricks To Share?

Strictly speaking my job is to write, but doing it well requires a lot of additional skills. The hardest part is getting everyone working on a project aligned in support of the best possible copy. I need to convey the idea that, “We’re serving our customers better if we say it this way.”

It helps me sell a copy concept if I can show it in layout. For example, if I need to show how a new promo line will work on one of our websites, I’ll mock it up in HTML and show it in a meeting using a web browser, so my colleagues can read it in context.

If we’re working on a display ad, I’ll use Illustrator to comp up a quick design so everyone can see how all the elements work together.

I can imagine an idealized scenario where I’d just write words and leave the design and code to the people who are best at it. But then there’s reality, where everybody has to get creative to make sure our ideas get realized and we’re shipping quality work on schedule.

Another important trick is knowing when to send an email, versus when to make a phone call or pay a visit in person. Use email for delivering complete work and for easy conversations with no potential for negative judgment. Make voice contact as soon as you sense something might be going awry. You can often avoid many hours of frustration by speaking to someone with your own voice, as a human being, rather than typing at them. This is true whatever kind of work you do, but it’s especially true with writing, since it can feel subjective and personal.

What Pieces of the Puzzle Are You Missing?

I want more hours in the day. There are many perks to working in-house like I do. You get to know everything about a brand, build relationships with other creative people, and enjoy the security of a steady job. But I wish I had more time and energy to explore side projects or freelance more.

Just The Facts

Name: Daryl Lang
Company: Copywriter, Shutterstock
Breaking Copy blog

Working Writers: Paul Lagasse

May 22, 2012, by 8 comments
Paul Lagasse

Paul Lagasse, Freelance Writer

I first stumbled across Paul Lagasse on his Sotto Voce blog, the entries for which are sometimes written on a typewriter and posted as images.

That led me to his Channel 37 blog, where he posts pulpy serialized science fiction stories. Clearly, this is a man places some value on the writing process.

Paul Lagasse

Paul Lagasse

When I realized he wrote for a living, he seemed a logical choice for the Working Writer series. It turns out he doesn’t send his clients typewritten pages (hey, a guy can dream), but his workflow should prove interesting anyway.

Welcome to this issue of Working Writers.

Tell Us Who You Are and What You Do (briefly)

My original career goal was to become an historian or archivist, so I earned a BA and MA in history and followed up with an MLS. Naturally, I discovered I didn’t have an academic temperament, so I took a chance on a career in writing. I’ve been a full-time self-employed writer/editor since January 2001.

After hours, I write science fiction for the web serial fiction site Channel 37, which I co-founded with my friend Gary Lester. I’ve written two books: a young-adult historical novel called Seeing Through Clouds and a humorous historical novella called Invasion of the Orb Men. This year, I’ve set a goal of getting my fiction published in at least a couple of recognized outlets.

I’m a Connecticut Yankee by birth and it is my spiritual home, but I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I ended up in Maryland, where I’ve lived for just over 20 years now. Annapolis is my current home base, and I hope to stay in this city for a long time — unless it’s to move back to New England.

What Hardware & Software Do You Use?

I am a fanatic about using the minimum number of rugged, reliable tools, both digital and analog.

At the home office I use an early 2008 MacBook (256GB HD and 2GB of RAM), which is running OS X 10.7.4 and hating every minute of it. At my desk, I hook it up to an inexpensive ViewSonic external monitor and use the Apple Bluetooth keyboard and Magic Trackpad. In the field I take notes on an iPod Touch plus Bluetooth keyboard. I will probably upgrade to a Windows 8 tablet for field work when they come out.

My word processor of choice is Nisus Writer Pro, but for complex projects where heavy formatting is required prior to layout, I use MS Word. I use iStudio Publisher for print layouts. For graphic design, I rely on three programs: Lemke Software’s GraphicConverter, Omni Group’s OmniGraffle, and BeLight Software’s ArtText.

Along with a handful of small specialty apps for photo formatting, color picking, etc., they do pretty much everything Photoshop can do while collectively costing less and being much easier to use.

Because no writer should ever be without paper and a pen, I also write with a 1943 Parker “51″ vac-fill fountain pen. In the field, I carry a Zebra 301 Portable ballpoint on my keychain and a stack of 3×5 cards in a Brigade Quartermasters Notesaf™ 3×5 Tactical Tablet Holder.

Any Special Copywriting or Workflow Tricks To Share?

My computer workflow relies on a few key apps: Cocoatech’s Path Finder is like the Apple Finder on steroids. It’s a very well-designed file management tool that I’ve tweaked to serve as a basic project management tool as well. Indev’s Mail Tags and Mail Act-on are plugins for Apple’s built-in Mail app that let me manage my e-mail workflow as efficiently as Path Finder lets me manage files.

It’s a carryover from my archives days, but I have established an easy-to-use file management system that lets me purge paper and electronic files and e-mails regularly. A few years ago I formalized the process into a system I called PaperJamming, which I wrote about on my blog.

I came out with the system along with some Hipster PDA templates at the peak of the whole Lifehack movement about five years ago, and its fifteen minutes of fame brought my site far more traffic than anything related to writing.

I’ve also tweaked out a Numbers spreadsheet to track invoice status, expenses, business checking, and taxes. It started as a simple invoice tracker but over the years I kept adding features to it until, now, it serves as my business dashboard.

It took me a few years to develop a paper system that was as efficient as my computer system. My notebooks and files all use the Rollabind ring system, also marketed as Circa by Levenger and Arc by Staples.

It’s a cross between a spiral notebook and a three-ring binder; pages can be pulled out and swapped between notebooks and folders very easily. You can create a notebook for a special purpose (a one-day conference, say, or a long-term project), and then break it down or merge it with other notebooks when you’re done. My whole file system, from cradle to grave, is “on the rings.”

What Pieces of the Puzzle Are You Missing?

I’m on the cusp of some big decisions right now regarding my hardware and software. I definitely need a faster laptop (which doubles at my desk computer when coupled to an external monitor and Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad). It’s about five years old and having a hard time keeping up. Right now I am waiting to see if the refreshed MacBook Pro line is worth holding out for, otherwise I’ll get a refurbished late-model MBP instead.

Until recently Mac OS X was a Swiss Army Knife. Lion introduced a slew of non-optional features that hinder my productivity, and if Mountain Lion continues that trend, then I’m going to have to face a choice there too. So I’m waiting until Mountain Lion and the new MBPs come out before I do anything.

It’s a weirdly unsettled place to be, and I’m unhappy even considering a major hardware and software switch when I’m so busy.

Just The Facts

Name: Paul Lagasse
Company: Active Voice Writing & Editorial Services
Professional website
Writing blog
Channel 37 sci-fi blog