A professional bookworm

For me, one of the best things about being a freelance copywriter, copy-editor and proofreader is the variety of material I work on, and how much I learn from that material.

I’ve always read widely, but my reading and knowledge has expanded dramatically since I went freelance. I work for such a diverse range of clients, I learn heaps from their material and from the work I carry out on it.

Most projects necessitate a degree of research – usually a click away via Google although occasionally I’ll convince myself it must be done in my homes-from-home, local bookshops and the library.

So, for example, when I’m copywriting a website or marketing material, I’ll read up on the company, its sector and competitors, and the target audience – which just this month has included finding out about property investment, pesticide testing and the classification of illegal drugs – all things I never would have known about otherwise.

Then there’s the books I proofread and copy-edit – a fantastic mix of genres and subject matter. I’ve read of Romans and secret societies; animators and grass-eating lions. I’ve delved into the worlds of design and football, professional gambling and royalty. I’ve edited true life stories of crime, passion and domestic violence, and escaped into fantasy with tales of humanised animals and the devil himself. I’ve journeyed to Vichy France, 1930s academia, Prohibition-era Illionos and 15th-century Wales. And I’ve brushed up my business skills with titles on marketing and bookkeeping, learnt how to live green and how to overcome anxiety (which came in very handy while completing my tax return this week).

Thanks to Perfectly Write, I’m fast becoming a mine of useful (and also fairly useless) information and am seriously running the risk of overdoing the phrase Did you know? with friends and family.

It’s something that keeps me challenged and enthusiastic about each new project.