I was talking with a colleague today and we were discussing what I did, and how he could possibly help. It was one of those conversations we all have where that metaphorical light bulb pops on and you think - 'maybe I could be a little more precise about exactly what it is I do'. Therefore here is a brief rundown on what I do and what I don't do (at the risk of sounding a bit 'Fifty Shades...).
Frankly it's easier to start with what I don't do - I am not struggling to write the great 21st Century novel, I don't have the next great play nearly finished and I'm not crafting a painstaking, and possibly unreadable, history of Lower Largo from 1921 - 1987. It's not that I don't have creative urges, I think we all do, but I am of the opinion that if I were really likely to do any of the above I would have started long since.
What I do is perhaps less fanciful, but perhaps more useful. I write. Obvious I know but I mean that quite literally - I will write pretty much anything. I have written numerous technical reviews for magazines, I have vented my spleen on a variety of subjects under the loose heading of 'op-ed'. I have created reader-friendly blogs which started life as painfully arcane legal summaries. I have created more product descriptions for websites that I can or care to remember. It is my good fortune to genuinely enjoy pretty much anything I am invited to write.
That isn't to say that some pieces come far more easily than others; some leap fully formed from my mind onto the page, others have to be coaxed out from under a particularly hoary rock with a stick, veritable labours of love. I am happy to consider most types of commission because all writing brings its own challenges. An example you may not have considered: maybe a client needs a biography so that they can be properly introduced as a keynote speaker. They may well be more than capable of writing an interesting and informative speech but baulk completely when it comes to writing about themselves. Like hating photographs of yourself or being uncomfortable hearing a recording of your voice, some of us can find it difficult to describe ourselves and our achievements to strangers. Having a third-party write your biography removes that discomfort and allows you to put yourself forward in a way you might not were you responsible for the words themselves. If it all sounds embarrassingly good when read out, you can always modestly wave it away and blame your writer!
To describe oneself as a writer tends to create a number of unwanted associations in the minds of others; fundamentally we are workers, hopefully talented, offering our skills to help you make the most of yours.