WRITING
As a child, all I wanted to be was a writer when I grew up, and my degree and my early career centered around writing . I have written websites, brochures, short stories, magazine and newspaper articles, creative nonfiction, instructional and technical copy, direct mail, advertisements, blog posts, and more.
From 2004 - 2007 I ran a personal blog, Home of Dismay, which grew to thousands of readers by the end of its life. I have also been published in literary publications and written many articles for local newspapers and magazines.
UX WRITING
We sometimes think of user experience and user interface design as one and the same, but this is a mistake. The user interface is part of the overall user experience, but UX also contains disciplines outside the remit of the visual designer.
Most notably, every user experience relies to some degree on language. Complex concepts cannot be communicated without at least some words. And in some cases--like compliance with regulations--words are absolutely required.
And yet, effective writing--whether of long or micro-copy-- has gotten lost in the shuffle between UX research and UI design. I hope that as the poorly defined discipline of “UX” grows up, the importance of good writing will be better understood.
In the meantime, it often falls to the non-visual-designers on any UX team to craft copy (and in many cases, revise it many times for clients and legal departments). I have filled this hybrid role for many years now. Organizations I have worked for in this capacity include T. Rowe Price, US Treasury Tax & Trade Bureau, US Treasury Office of International Affairs, GDIT, among many freelance clients.
Writing Samples
Because of the ephemeral nature of the internet, I am providing writing samples in the form of PDF files and screenshots.