About Writing Archives | Philippa Writes

31Dec 2022 by Philippa Willitts

A selection of my best writing in 2022

2022 has been a really interesting year for me professionally. My role at Now Then magazine, where I was a community correspondent focusing on reporting on the LGBTQ+ and disability communities, changed as I took over as editor for six months to cover the regular editor's parental leave. Since he has come back to work, we are sharing the role, and I am still focusing on my original remit as well. I spend half my working week at Now Then and the other half freelancing. Most of my freelance work this year has been editing, whether at Global Comment or doing sensitivity editing for a range of authors and publishing companies. As a result of that, most of my writing this year has been either for private clients, mostly in…

04Jan 2022 by Philippa Willitts

Bloody hell, I’ve been at this for ten years

About Proofreading, About Writing, Freelancing

Ten years ago, I embarked on a self-employment experiment. And I did it all "wrong". First, I didn't tell everyone to support my business as you're supposed to; instead, I was so convinced that I would fail that I told a handful of my closest people. Second, I didn't do that smart thing where you work a full-time job while trying to gradually build your freelance clients on the side; instead, I just launched full-time from scratch. I had some savings that could support me if my business failed and I did expect to have to live of them but, to my surprise more than anyone else's, I got clients, people hired me, and I made a success of it. [bctt tweet="Ten years ago, I did it all 'wrong'. Yet…

26Jul 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Just say no to unethical marketing: disablism in health copywriting

About Writing, Disabled writer

I got an email yesterday inviting me to be an affiliate for a health product. By complete coincidence, the product promised to rid its gullible audience of a condition I actually have, so I clicked with interest. The video sales letter, within three short minutes, was outrageously offensive. And I don't say that lightly. A man was offered life-saving surgery that involved amputating a leg. This is a big deal for anybody, of course. I would not downplay that. But the alternative was death. [caption id="attachment_2896" align="alignright" width="328"] An Indigenous Two-Spirit person ties their shoelaces while sitting in a chair. They are dressed in all black and have braided hair, tattoos, and a prosthetic leg.[/caption] Phew, you'd think. It will be a big change to my life to lose a…

25Jun 2021 by Philippa Willitts

How writers and editors can use OneLook.com for linguistic queries

About Proofreading, About Writing

I discovered a website a few months ago that is proving to be pretty nifty when I need to really drill down on a particular word. OneLook.com lets you search for a word and gives you links to a range of definitions, from general dictionaries to specialised ones. It also allows you to find related words, rhyming words etc. I have found it particularly useful when proofreading and coming across specialised language and when writing and needing to be absolutely certain that I'm using an unusual word correctly. I made a mini video to show how it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oWmsaNDklU Transcript: So I'm going to show you a nifty little website that I've discovered quite recently, Onelook.com, and it is a way to search multiple dictionaries for one word. As you…

27Apr 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Books on language for writers, proofreaders, translators and editors

About Proofreading, About Writing, Language

One of the reasons I work with words is that language is endlessly fascinating. From my degree in French to the podcasts I listen to and the books I read about the English language, there is always more to know. As a writer and proofreader, I rely on some of the books listed below for my work. But as a linguist, I read the rest for fun. The links below are for Amazon. If you would prefer to support independent bookshops, try Hive Books or Bookshop.org in the UK or Bookshop or IndieBound in the USA. For people in other countries, a quick Google should help you to find an independent alternative. Books about proofreading It's an art and a science and a business McGraw-Hill's Proofreading Handbook by Laura Killen…

05Mar 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Upcoming presentation: Proofreading and copywriting for translators: tips, tools and techniques

About Proofreading, About Writing, Speaking

I'm really excited to be a speaker for the Chartered Institute of Linguists. At the webinar, I will be talking about proofreading and copywriting and, in particular, how they are relevant to translators. Translators might want to know how to use copywriting skills to promote their businesses or how best to proofread the work they produce, or the work of other translators. I will go through all of that and more. As you can see on the event page, Translators in all sectors can benefit from learning proofreading and copywriting skills. Join freelance writer, editor and proofreader Philippa Willitts as she guides you through the tools and tips you need to improve your proofreading skills and learn about how copywriting can help you to promote your work. Key learning objectives:…

09Dec 2020 by Philippa Willitts

A bit of background: an interview with… me

About Writing, Freelancing

Last week, I was approached by Rebecca Wren, an aspiring writer. She was writing a university assignment about the career she wants to enter - writing - and wanted to ask me some questions to help to guide her in both her uni work and her path to her future career. I answered her questions and it turned out to be quite an extensive piece of work! So Rebecca agreed that I could reproduce my answers here. I'm all about repurposing content, especially when it's 1500 words long. What inspired you to become a freelancer in different fields of writing? I had a blog, which I started in the days when you still had to explain what a blog was! I then joined a feminist group blog, where my writing…

20May 2019 by Philippa Willitts

Blog post pricing special offer

About Writing, Content Marketing, Freelance Self-Promotion

This sale has now expired. However, don’t despair. There is another special offer for you here. When B2B or B2C clients are looking for a freelancer to write blog posts for them, they don't just want a couple of one-off articles. Generally, they want one or two a week on an ongoing basis, as this makes the most sense when blogging. Blogging offers a myriad of benefits for all businesses. Regular new content keeps Google keen, while providing extensive written information adds new conversational keywords to their website content and ongoing posts provide content that can attract buyers, answer prospects' questions and create a sense of recognition or familiarity. Because of the importance of ongoing new blog content, I recently created some packages for new clients to choose from when they hire…

01Apr 2019 by Philippa Willitts

Notes on March

About Proofreading, About Writing, Freelance Self-Promotion

I sometimes wonder whether I should populate my blog with updates on how work is going. After all, it gives readers and potential clients an idea of what I'm up to. So, I'm giving it a try this month and will see how it goes. A particularly interesting part of March's work was proofreading two books for a French agency. The books had been translated from French and I was proofreading the resulting translation. They were grammatically very good but needed some work on occasional areas of wording that didn't sound quite right. As I have a degree in French Studies I have done my fair share of translation so am familiar with the way it works and the problems and challenges it can cause, so I felt at home…

12Nov 2018 by Philippa Willitts

Special offer for Equal Pay Day: freelance writing, proofreading and social media management

About Writing, Freelancing, Uncategorized

This sale has now expired. However, don't despair. There is another special offer for you here. This weekend marks the date when Equal Pay Day takes place: it is used to signify the last day of the year that a woman would receive pay, when taking the gender pay-gap into account. Enjoy this (NSFW) video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba5F7NoHgVQ It is important to remember, when noting this day, that today is the day after which averaged-out women work for free. In fact, Black women and disabled women and other minority groups get even less equity in their workplaces and white women do considerably better than BAME women. Because of this, I want to encourage the world of work to do better. And I believe that one path towards "better" is having women at…

Category: About Writing