Articles by Elizabeth Short
Words,
words, words. I just can't get enough. In
addition to creating copy, I also write
for magazines, newspapers, and online venues.
Here are a few samples. Interested in
reprints? Just send me an email.
Articles
on writing and editing
For
Immediate Release: Your Business is Newsworthy,
Media Seeks Story
The
Best Intentions: Editing for Your Audience
10
Quick Ways to Polish Your Prose
Other
freelance articles
Green
Beans for Home Roasters: A New Kind of Buzz
Crossing
the Line: Clearing Customs in the Post 9-11
Waters of Washington State
Fish
Tales: Alaska Fishermen Dish Up the Secrets
of Great Salmon BBQ
The
Drama of the Roast
The
Winemaker and the Song
The
Soups of Spring
In
Her Kitchen
For
Immediate Release: Your Business is Newsworthy,
Media
Seeks Story
by
Elizabeth Short
There's
no debating that media attention is a cost-effective
marketing tool for any business—after
all, publicity via the airwaves or printed
word is far-reaching, targets a wide audience
and, best of all, is absolutely free. The
only problem is getting it.
That's
because when it comes to our perpetually
scoop-driven media, nothing short of a Pulitzer
Prize, visit from the Queen of England,
or billion dollar NASA contract will induce
journalists to point a pen in your direction,
right? Wrong. The truth is, media organizations
are constantly mining everyday events for
the next headline. And you can give them
one—in
the form of a good press release.
The
art of the press release is technical writing,
with a twist. It brings together a topic
supported by the five journalistic Ws (Who,
What, When, Where, and Why), a few well-tuned
quotes, and that little something extra
that grabs a busy editor's attention and
doesn't let go. Namely, an angle. Together,
these form the bones of a news story, one
that might just bring a healthy dose of
publicity and, with it, fresh business to
your company's door.
Read
entire article
The
Best Intentions: Editing for Your Audience
by
Elizabeth Short
Monumental
Mailers was thrilled with the inaugural
edition of their custom email newsletter,
Direct Mail Management. Linked to
dozens of new clients in the first month
alone, your latest project appears to have
made quite a splash. Perhaps it didn't matter,
after all, that time constraints had prevented
a thorough review by the editorial team.
But
when Monumental Mailers later complained
that established clients were unsubscribing
in droves from the newsletter rolls, you
were asked to investigate. As an editor,
you must now determine whether your company's
product is to blame.
Sitting
down with a fresh cup of coffee, you begin
perusing a recent issue of the newsletter,
immediately struck by the combination of
good writing and eye-catching design. Five
minutes later, you're on the phone with
the writer. Great job on the Monumental
project, you say, I'm happy to report
our problem will be easy to fix.
Read
entire article
10
Quick Ways to Polish Your Prose
by
Elizabeth Short
You've
revised your latest article a dozen times.
Your writing group, spouse, and cat all
insist the piece is great (read: are tired
of hearing it.) But despite numerous drafts,
something isn't quite right. The last sentence
is long-winded, a critical passage concludes
with a clunk, and your opening—Holy
Hooks!—is
downright dull. That's the good news.
The
bad news is this: the piece is due tomorrow
on the desk of an editor you've been courting
(literarily speaking, of course) for months,
one you're desperate to impress. Short of
a telepathic plea to William Zinsser, how
can you deliver strapping prose and clean
copy while still meeting your deadline?
Read
entire article
Coming
soon!
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