Q: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WRITING EXPERIENCE.

A: As the daughter of two English teachers, the importance of grammar and spelling was drilled into me from a very young age. I now have almost seven years of experience working in public relations and marketing COMMUNICATIONS. After five years acquiring "field experience," I am now applying my hard earned writing skills and marketing savvy as a one-stop writing shop. I provide my clients writing, copyediting and PROOFREADING services, working with them any way they prefer. Some contract with me to edit and proofread the content they've created in-house, while others hire me to help implement marketing initiatives and create materials that will promote their business.

Q: HOW IS BUSINESS WRITING DIFFERENT?

A: The intent behind writing to inform or entertain is to deliver information or to delight the reader. In business writing, we are trying to INFLUENCE the audience in a different way; we want to persuade them to use our product or service. In a sense, business writing is more CALCULATED than other writing forms because we are attempting to convince the reader that they need our service, or that our service is the best.

Q: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST AMATEUR WRITING MISTAKE?

A: The biggest mistake that lots of writers (not just amateurs) make in writing is failing to thoroughly EDIT and proofread their work. Using the spellcheck function of your word processing application is a good start, but should not be your sole method of proofreading. Good writers always have a dictionary and thesaurus by their sides to verify word meanings and spelling. Strunk And White's "Elements of Style" is also helpful for checking common grammar mistakes. The very best method of eliminating spelling and grammar mistakes is to ask a COLLEAGUE to proofread your work and double-check tone. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can catch a mistake you haven't caught in the 50 times you've read through your work.

Q: HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE?

A: When trying to connect with your audience, put yourself in their shoes -- EMPATHIZE. How do they think? How do they talk? Use their language -- you would relate very differently to a fourteen-year-old girl than you would a forty-year-old executive. To encourage interaction with your audience, always include at least two methods of CONTACT in all of your marketing materials. Many successful marketers list both their phone number and their email address, allowing the reader to choose his or her preferred method.

Q: ANY ADVICE FOR NEW (AND IMPROVING) WRITERS?

A: The easiest way to improve one's writing skills is to adopt some of the HABITS of a professional writer. As I've mentioned previously, professional writers always have a well-worn dictionary, thesaurus and grammar reference book (I like The Everyday Writer by Lunsford And Connors) by their side for easy reference. I constantly verify the spelling or meaning of a word. Secondly, professional writers are usually avid readers. READING a variety of publications will expand your knowledge, not to mention your ability to dazzle at cocktail parties. There’s no need to limit your reading to what you think you should read; inspiration can come from anywhere -- the daily newspaper, a trade publication, a competitor's Web site, even romance novels. Not only will you learn new words and see proper grammar employed, but you'll also be training your brain to distinguish between quality writing and ineffective drivel.