What I Do

I work with authors and professors, marketers and instructional designers.  My services include:

  • developmental editingPatrick in Vienna
  • copyediting
  • writing
  • copywriting
  • indexing

I have twenty years of experience with corporate communications working with operations and marketing teams.

I am also a legally trained writer with a J.D., which means I hear “no passive voice” in my sleep, and improper citations keep me awake (I am proficient in The Bluebook, ALWD, APA and Chicago citation styles).

When I edit, my goal is to give power to your words. I’m not just looking for typos and errant trademarks, although there is a certain thrill to finding that random extra space. I don’t stop when I’ve removed passive voice and awkward phrases.

I work to make sure your voice connects you with your audience, whether you need to connect with your customers (websites, blogs and brochures), your employees (training manuals and videos, toolkits and workbooks) or your peers, scholars and students (journals, white papers, reviews, and manuscripts).

Editing:

  • Basic copyediting to correct spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.
  • Developmental editing to improve the quality of the writing by removing awkward phrases and passive voice, reorganizing sentences and paragraphs, and keeping a uniform tone and style. Developmental editing also includes searching for inconsistencies to improve the clarity of the content.

Writing:

  • I write copy for marketing materials, content for training materials, including workbooks, toolkits, manuals and newsletters, and scripts for video and audio.
  • I am also a storyteller and write creative non-fiction. Here are a couple of my favorites stories.
    • “Beignets” was told at The Moth StorySLAM Twin Cities in February 2022 with a theme of “love hurts.”
    • “Stepping Aside” appeared in the summer 2021 issue of the Under Review. It’s a story of the Grandy Canyon and a fear of heights.

Indexing:

  • Ensure accuracy, consistency and usability. Create, delete, reword, regroup, and verify entries.

Focus:

  • My areas of focus include academic fields of law, political science and history, creative non-fiction, business operations and training, and marketing.

patrick@pfmcgraw.com