Writing & Reviewing
I work in Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Word’s “Track Changes” feature will usually be turned ON so you can make comments and changes directly within the document. This way, I’ll be able to see exactly what changes you’ve made.
Sample copy I’ll get to work as soon as you’ve provided me all the information I need. Usually, my first step is write a piece of sample copy to make sure it’s in the appropriate style.
First Draft After approval of the style sample, I’ll do the first draft. I normally do three drafts. The first is where we do the lion’s share of the work. The second is for major/minor revisions and the last is a “polish.”
Your Review After I send you the first draft, you review it. Set aside time to read it carefully. You’ll need to read through the copy line by line, to make sure it’s accurate and meets your objectives.
Rewrite Once you send me your revisions, I do a second draft. Unless there’s been a breakdown in communications and I’ve totally misunderstood what you want, this goes pretty fast, a few days at most.
Final Review I send you the rewrite and you go over it again. Read the second version as carefully as the first. Mistakes happen. I may not have understood your instructions or you may have overlooked something that stands out now like a sore thumb. The third draft is our chance to get everything perfect.
Polish Once I get your latest corrections, I do a polish. Often it’s only a matter of getting technical descriptions down right. Things like that can be tricky, so sometimes it’s necessary to "polish the polish." That too usually goes very fast.
Final Approval You read the polished copy and, if everything is right, sign off. I send you my invoice. You pay. We’re done.
