Editing Without Ego

Here's a at one of my new service offerings that will be launching Fall 2022!

I find that there's a moment during many projects where the client suddenly feels galvanized by my writing support, and able to think + talk about their business in new ways.

If you are a creative person, handing off a brand you've built from the bottom up to a copywriter can feel nerve wracking. This pathway is intended for folks who want to take a more active role in the generative process and help me put the
🌸editing🌸 back in Editing Without Ego!

Save this post for later, let it percolate, and when you're ready, let's co-create!

What are the 3 PIECES OF COPY that have the most IMPACT on whether a customer connects with your business?

💥MISSION
💥VISION
💥VALUES

MISSION = what you do! This statement should be 1-2 sentences MAX

VISION = how you'll do it. This can be customer-facing or just for you, but it lends clarity especially if it is specific, actionable and future-focused.

VALUES = WHY you do what you do! This is hugely important because your customers want to work with people who share their values, and so do you!

Clear statements of these things in your copy (and action to back them up!) help prospects connect with the human behind the business.

Books are open for March 2021! DM me to get inspired and craft some language to gain clarity and customers!

My not-so at the local grocery co-op where my spouse works. So inspired today I decided to take a little field trip.

Where's your favorite unconventional place to get work done?

Easthampton!

Happy Pride everyone! Here's a story I wrote where I breathlessly explain to you why a kids' movie is gay. Representation matters to LGBTQ youth!

“Luca” Is the Gay Allegory I Deserved as a Child So much better late than never. This piece contains spoilers for Disney PIXAR’s “Luca”. Read at your own risk.

Hey friends, just your regular reminder that Editing Without Ego is a proudly ***anownedandoperated business. 🏳️‍🌈

Patronizing is one of the best things allies can do to support q***r lives and livelihoods.

Remember started in the US as an uprising against police brutality. In this moment of reckoning with the scourge of police violence, don't forget that the parades and dance parties were protests and acts of defiance first.

To my fellow people, I see you and honor your hustle and your struggle. The commercialization of Pride is so dissonant with our movement (looking at you, banks and booze companies). But you deserve a life of safety and security. You are a pro with so much to offer, don't let anyone tell you you have to be a starving artist to have a place in this movement.

Pride was a riot. Happy Pride!

Hey friends, just your regular reminder that Editing Without Ego is a proudly #le***anownedandoperated business. 🏳️‍🌈 Patronizing #lgbtownedbusiness is one of the best things allies can do to support q***r lives and livelihoods. Remember #pride started in the US as an uprising against police brutality. In this moment of reckoning with the scourge of police violence, don't forget that the parades and dance parties were protests and acts of defiance first. To my fellow #lgbtownedbusiness people, I see you and honor your hustle and your struggle. The commercialization of Pride is so dissonant with our movement (looking at you, banks and booze companies). But you deserve a life of safety and security. You are a pro with so much to offer, don't let anyone tell you you have to be a starving artist to have a place in this movement. Pride was a riot. Happy Pride!

"Take a closer look at your pre-covid communications and ask yourself, 'Is this literally true?' 'Is it fresh, direct and conversational?' 'Does it accurately reflect what new audiences have told us they’re looking for?' 'Does it honestly describe the experience newcomers will have when they attend our events?'

This article is focused on arts marketing and leadership, but I think these tools are useful to anyone trying to sell an offer with messaging in the "new normal."

Three Survival Tools for Post-Pandemic Arts Leaders Climbing out of the hole this pandemic has dug will not be easy. Arts organizations are likely to see sharp drops in audience participation, which will be compounded by a slow build toward a new no…

Editing Without Ego updated their phone number.

This story is also over on the blog, but I thought the creative community over on Medium would appreciate my rambles on early-morning idea generation.

When do you feel most creative? How do you conceive and remember ideas for your business? Contact me to put your vision into words. Words become actions, actions become profits!

Where Do I Come Up With This Stuff?! I am not a morning person. At all. I say regularly that the only thing I want to get up before 6am for is air travel. As the pandemic has…

"The stereotype of the successful entrepreneur usually looks something like this: A scrappy upstart with a big dream, who, by pulling late nights and ingesting endless gallons of coffee, eventually attracts huge funding rounds and billion-dollar valuations. Those stories are certainly out there — but it’s not the only way."

How a Minimalist Approach Can Grow Your Business Joshua Fields Millburn was 28 when everything changed. Before, he’d had a three-bedroom house stuffed with designer clothes, and a phalanx…

The arrival of spring and summer coinciding with the vaccine rollout will mean consumers have more energy and resources that might be spent at your business. But first, they will likely search for what they want online. That’s where a brand refresh comes in.

Here are some ways to refresh your brand post-pandemic. Reimagining your copy can help you emerge from the pandemic, dust yourself off, and hit the ground running into summer and beyond.

"How to Refresh Your Brand Post-Pandemic" is now live on the blog!

https://www.editingwithoutego.com/2021/04/05/how-to-refresh-your-brand-post-pandemi

Hey friends! I connected with some folks doing a podcast on weddings during COVID over on Insta as Editing Without Ego after my featured post on Offbeat Bride. Check out the new episode where we talk about how this past year changed everything and nothing.

Photography: Sage Orville Shea
Suits: Wildfang & Kirrin Finch
Shoes: Tomboy Toes
Ceremony Music: Lucy Rosenmeier
Officiant: Laura Kellner

Honorable mention s/o to my M-F job and theatre fam Double Edge Theatre

Episode 9 - Guerilla Wedding Check out this great listen on Audible.com. April 2, 2021 - We caught up with April in Massachusetts, who takes us through her four proposals and a cupcake icing debacle! We cover a variety of topics ranging from the Bridezilla trope to challenging gender norms and ultimately making the decision t.....

A copywriter is someone who gets their mental "tenants" to pay OTHER people's rent!

I've got ideas for your business banging down my door. Book a discovery briefing to start paying the rent with your dream business.

Check out my featured book list on the front page of until the 29th! The list was adapted for from my blog post, "26 Books on my Aspirational Bookshelf".

I'm reading "Rage Becomes Her" (on the list!) right now. I have to keep putting it down to process about every 40 pages, but I recommend that everyone read it!

links are available on the or through the list on the homepage of Bookshop. I receive a small commission if you purchase through these links, and you independent bookstores instead of a certain retail conglomerate.

Check out my featured book list on the front page of @bookshop_org until the 29th! The list was adapted for #womenshistorymonth from my blog post, "26 Books on my Aspirational Bookshelf". I'm reading "Rage Becomes Her" (on the list!) right now. I have to keep putting it down to process about every 40 pages, but I recommend that everyone read it! #Affiliate links are available on the #blog or through the list on the homepage of Bookshop. I receive a small commission if you purchase through these links, and you #supportlocal independent bookstores instead of a certain retail conglomerate. #whm2021 #bookstagram #read #affiliateprogram #feminism #memoir #queeetheory #history #booklist #bookrecs #wanttoread

Heads up, I've just secured my first post published in a Medium publication! "Disability in Drag: Embodying Masculinity" was published in "An Injustice!" on Medium. "An Injustice!" is a publication about diverse voices, values and identities.

If you need support with content creation in the culture or lifestyle spaces, or a sensitivity reader to proof your content for inclusivity, send me a message!

Great advice I read somewhere! Especially helpful with About pages I think.

Struggling to write about yourself? You're not alone. Book an appointment and tell me your story; it'll be written like magic!

New Blog Post: "4 Reasons Your Company Needs a Mission Statement" is live now on the blog!

Putting off updating your company website with a knockout mission statement? Book an appointment or DM me now to discuss your business values and goals.

For my Western MA folks, check out the first issue of the new digital zine Flypaper, by my friends over at Flywheel Arts Collective. I didn't write for this issue, but I'm hoping to contribute in the future!

Bug Wheel Keep on Turning | Reinventing the ‘Wheel | Flywheel Arts Bug Wheel Keep on Turning | Reinventing the ‘Wheel david | March 15, 2021 | Bug Wheel Keep On Turning, Flypaper, Issue #1 | No Comments Welcome to this first issue of our new thing, Flypaper. This past trip around the sun has been both eventful and, ironically, pretty much event-less for your frie...

Check out my new blog post about week 2 of Andrea Gibson's "Write Your Heart In" poetry workshop.

Topic: Personal entry points into issues of social justice.

It was a difficult week!

Write Your Heart In - Week 2 Debriefing My response to week two of Andrea Gibson's

Happy International Women's Day! Editing Without Ego is proud to help woman-owned businesses and nonprofits focused on women and girls reach their goals with intuitive, compelling copy and content writing.

Check out my Instagram Story Highlights for 20% off your writing project for your business or organization through Women's History Month!

What advice would you give your younger self about being raised as a woman?

Check out this post I wrote, just published on Offbeat Bride about my very own COVID wedding!

Need help blogging for your business? Book an appointment now and see what I can do for you!

A butch le***an wedding in COVID-times: two brides, two suits, ten guests | Offbeat Bride We knew from the start that our wedding wasn't going to be very much like the ones you see on TV. We were two butch le***ans, for one, so even the gay wedding media I so desperately sought out rarely depicted couples that looked like us. Then COVID hit, and then spread, and everything changed...

I relate to this author's description of her experience with a condition called "aphantasia." Do you?

"It seems clear that the ability to visualize exists on a spectrum. I’m not some sad outlier isolated off in my own empty world while everyone else joyfully conjures images of apples or their mother at will. Rather, I’m hanging out on the fringes of a crowd that encompasses a huge variety of abilities and experiences. Whatever gap might exist in my thinking because of my inability to visualize, it’s been filled with words and a thrumming sense of how those words can interact with—spark, express, influence—emotion."

Being a Writer When You Literally Cannot Visualize Scenes I have no mind’s eye. If I close my eyes I see blackness, or perhaps some fuzzy pixel-like tinges of gray and red as light seeps through my eyelids. It depends on how bright my surroundings are. Bu…

I've had a couple of blog posts queued up for a while, folks. This one has been with me for a long time. And there's wordplay in the title!

#MeToo? The Desire/Ability Paradox When I came out, someone close to me asked me if the reason I was gay was because I felt insecure about not getting enough attention from…

Editing Without Ego is now on Medium! Some content that I feel strongly about writing doesn't quite work on the EWE blog, so I've made space for it on Medium instead!

There will still be content posted to the blog, some of it may also be posted on Medium. I'm workshopping the functionality of the website currently so this creates a great platform for sharing content in the meantime!

Read/comment/clap!

“Disclosure”: What (and When) to Tell Employers and Lovers About Disability and Queerness. A few months ago, watched the documentary Disclosure on Netflix with my partner, who has recently begun identifying as transmasculine and…

Facebook EXCLUSIVE EARLY ACCESS: Nab your next read from my curated book list (selected from my Aspirational Bookshelf) before it gets published on the FRONT PAGE of Bookshop.org especially for Women's History Month!

Editing Without Ego Bookshop Editing Without Ego is a freelance writing and editing business. I help mission-driven, creative businesses and nonprofits realize their goals by clarifying their message through intuitive copywriting and editing. On the EWE blog I frequently write about books and writing as craft, as well as writin...

The etymology of the word "banjo" is contested. The many claims laid to the instrument's origin may prompt the question: Who wrote your dictionary?

“Music, like food and language, is a fluid culture, and folk music picks up all kinds of influences as it moves through time and different communities,”...“But White people do have a bad habit in this country of taking something from another culture, whitewashing it, and profiting off of it to the exclusion of that cultural community." - Rachel Baiman, music educator and banjoist.

My education was in ethnomusicology; I remain interested in the origins and stories behind instruments and musical traditions.

A Quest to Return the Banjo to Its African Roots The Black Banjo Reclamation Project aims to put banjos into the hands of everyday people.

I first read this piece last year, long before I started Editing Without Ego but not too long after leaving college, where another, slightly more "woke" brand of garbage language is common.

Do you work in a place where people say things that mean nothing in particular? What do you think the motivation is? Have you ever been called out for lacking clarity in communication?

Why Do Corporations Speak the Way They Do? The pernicious spread of garbage language.

NEW BLOG POST ALERT!

Descriptivism is a linguistic approach that seeks to describe the way language is actually used in the day-to-day of a speaking population. By contrast, prescriptivism is a system of rules that attempts to regulate language, how it is written, and how it is or is not allowed to evolve.

What's your biggest grammar and punctuation pet peeve? What grammar rules did you never quite grasp?

Confessions of a Practical Descriptivist Descriptivism is a linguistic approach that describes the way language is actually used by a speaking population. I consider myself a practical descriptivist.

"There are so many things to fear in life, but punctuation is not one of them. That semicolons, unlike most other punctuation marks, are fully optional and relatively unusual lends them power; when you use one, you are doing something purposefully, by choice, at a time when motivations are vague and intentions often denied. And there are very few opportunities in life to have it both ways; semicolons are the rare instance in which you can; there is absolutely no downside."

I am a big fan of the much maligned semicolon, and unlike this author, I do remember when I learned to use them (junior year Creative Writing!)

What are your thoughts on this unloved bit of punctuation?

The Case for Semicolons There are very few opportunities in life to have it both ways; semicolons are the rare instance in which you can; there is absolutely no downside.

How did everyone celebrate yesterday?

Happy Valentine’s Day AND International Book Giving Day!!

A lot of the histories that we have of high-profile LGBTQ people are written histories. For Valentine's Day, check out this article on the romance between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West, written by accomplished graphic novelist Alison Bechdel, namesake of the Bechdel Test and author of "Fun Home," the graphic novel that inspired the Broadway musical.

'As a body hers is perfection': Alison Bechdel on the love letters of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West The great literary love affair not only fed the visionary novel Orlando, but staked out new ground for women - and inspired the graphic novelist’s own hunt for the ideal relationship

For I thought I'd share this interesting, comprehensive critique of "the new minimalism," a philosophy that seems sometimes dogmatic and often becomes hypocritical.

I think minimalism in editing is about purpose. Clarity. Does your writing answer the brief and accomplish what you want?

The Pitfalls and the Potential of the New Minimalism The mantra of “less is more” still obeys a logic of accumulation—but it hints at genuinely different ways of thinking.

This is an interesting resource on "essentialism" for writers, by the writer of one of the books cited in an earlier post on the Page, from The New Yorker. A slanted perspective on "minimalism," essentialism really speaks to what motivates me as an editor!

Essentialism for Writers Essentialism works for writers too! Our six-stage path helps writers determine what is essential at their current stage for less frustration and more progress.

Valentine's Day is ONE WEEK AWAY.

Struggling to figure out how to celebrate Valentine's Day this year? The pen is definitely mightier than the heart-shaped box of chocolates. Here's my list of 7 reasons you should write your partner a love letter or poem this Valentine's Day!

And, if you write something for your dear one and want to make sure it's perfect, shoot me a message and I can help you say just what's in your heart.

7 Reasons to Write Your Partner a Love Letter for V-Day For real, folks, love letters and love poetry are where it’s at for Valentine’s Day gifts. If you’re not convinced, here are 7 reasons you should write your partner a poem or letter for Valentine’s Day this year.

I am so excited to be taking part in this virtual poetry class starting on February 20th! Andrea Gibson is one of my favorite poets and I really respect their work.

If you (like me) hardly ever do anything for yourself, consider taking a virtual hobby class or seeing a virtual show or concert to support creatives and performers during this tough time.

I will be semi-"liveblogging" (whoa, hello Tumblr c. 2012) my progress and process in the class, and might even share some finished work on the website! Check out the blog and portfolio pages in the coming weeks.

WRITE YOUR HEART IN - Writing Workshop with Andrea Gibson — Andrea Gibson In this generative writing workshop designed for all-levels, Andrea will peel back the curtain on their career and the poems that built it. Andrea will provide writing prompts, tools, and techniques to help participants not only write their hearts out, but in. Students will have 12 new drafts of poe

Pricing information for my editing services is now available on the website! Please feel free to email me with any questions!

www.editingwithoutego.com/pricing-process