I learned to read and write at 4, and I was homeschooled until the fourth grade with several other children in the community. Although I was known as a bookworm, I didn’t think there was anything that unusual about me, really.
When I got to public school, though, I tested for reading comprehension at the ninth grade level in fifth. My sixth, ninth, twelfth, and college-level English teachers all asked if they could share my writing journal with others as examples of what they wanted to see. My SAT reading score was near perfect.
But I wasn’t interested in writing as a career. I’d sworn my undying love to science. I grew huge piles all over my house: books and card collections about animals, habitats, biology, space… I was addicted to National Geographic and Wild America in elementary, and the first rhyming poem I created was in fifth grade: “I want to be a zoologist, Not a paleontologist, Not an archaeologist…”
I took a break from college to begin paying off my school loan and I was hired at a local medical practice. I wrote the advertising material. Special mailing cards, a full-sized themed calendar, brochures, everything. But I couldn’t wait to get back to class.
Because typos, unnecessary commas, run-ons, and broken grammar had instinctively made me cringe all my life, I learned editing skills and established myself locally as an editor. One by one I became a member of the Editorial Freelancer Association, the Indiana University’s Copyediting-L, and American Writers and Artists, Inc.
One slow day at the office, I bid on a copywriting job online. The client asked for a writing sample for a generic product. I sent it in, she loved it, and she’s been a client ever since, along with others in need of marketing copy and editing services, most of whom come back again and again. I was hired full-time as a proofreader along the way. My loans were paid long ago, but when I went back to school, it was for an advertising degree.
I still adore science, but until I’m able to go at it more leisurely, I’m content to keep it as a pet hobby. Writing and editing (as you can probably tell by now) are my zones.
See my Why Editing? and Why Writing? pages for my philosophy and a breakdown of my services. Stop by my blog to get creative and business writing and marketing tips. Don’t hesitate to call 240-319-8662 or e-mail me with any questions, to schedule your free hour-long consult, or to chat. And feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
About Shakirah
I learned to read and write at 4, and I was homeschooled until the fourth grade with several other children in the community. Although I was known as a bookworm, I didn’t think there was anything that unusual about me, really.
When I got to public school, though, I tested for reading comprehension at the ninth grade level in fifth. My sixth, ninth, twelfth, and college-level English teachers all asked if they could share my writing journal with others as examples of what they wanted to see. My SAT reading score was near perfect.
But I wasn’t interested in writing as a career. I’d sworn my undying love to science. I grew huge piles all over my house: books and card collections about animals, habitats, biology, space… I was addicted to National Geographic and Wild America in elementary, and the first rhyming poem I created was in fifth grade: “I want to be a zoologist, Not a paleontologist, Not an archaeologist…”
I took a break from college to begin paying off my school loan and I was hired at a local medical practice. I wrote the advertising material. Special mailing cards, a full-sized themed calendar, brochures, everything. But I couldn’t wait to get back to class.
Because typos, unnecessary commas, run-ons, and broken grammar had instinctively made me cringe all my life, I learned editing skills and established myself locally as an editor. One by one I became a member of the Editorial Freelancer Association, the Indiana University’s Copyediting-L, and American Writers and Artists, Inc.
One slow day at the office, I bid on a copywriting job online. The client asked for a writing sample for a generic product. I sent it in, she loved it, and she’s been a client ever since, along with others in need of marketing copy and editing services, most of whom come back again and again. I was hired full-time as a proofreader along the way. My loans were paid long ago, but when I went back to school, it was for an advertising degree.
I still adore science, but until I’m able to go at it more leisurely, I’m content to keep it as a pet hobby. Writing and editing (as you can probably tell by now) are my zones.
See my Why Editing? and Why Writing? pages for my philosophy and a breakdown of my services. Stop by my blog to get creative and business writing and marketing tips. Don’t hesitate to call 240-319-8662 or e-mail me with any questions, to schedule your free hour-long consult, or to chat. And feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Wishing you success,
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