writing

Features and articles

I have been a freelance writer since 1995, specialising in features and articles about history and heritage, homes and interiors, education and the environment. I have written about a huge variety of subjects – everything from criminal ancestors, Scouting and baby’s bathtime through to choosing carpets, going green and Victorian Christmas cards. These are just some of the publications I have written for:

• Antiques & Collectables
• Aquila
• BBC History
• Best of British
• Discover My Past
• Discover Your Ancestors
• The Express
• Family Tree
• HomeStyle
• The Lady
• My Weekly
• Period House
• Take A Break
• The Times Educational Supplement
• Who Do You Think You Are?
• Writing Magazine
• Your Family Tree

 

'Michelle writes engaging, informative features and really understands what our readers are looking for. She is an extremely reliable writer who always supplies her copy on time and to brief – just what a busy editor needs!'

Sarah Williams, Editor, Who Do You Think You Are? magazine

Writing life stories

In 2014, I started ghostwriting life stories for Book of My Life. These biographies are written from the memories of people who want to record their life stories for their families and future generations. I find them fascinating projects to work on because I learn so much from the subject of each story about the times in which they lived. I explain more about the value of oral history in this blog post from the archives.

'Michelle is an excellent writer, who has ghostwritten six life stories for Book of My Life so far. In these books, she has captured the voice of the subject brilliantly, got to the heart to the story and delivered the work on time. My clients have been delighted to talk to Michelle, who puts them at their ease straight away, making the interviews an enjoyable and relaxed experience. Michelle is keen to get involved in the editing process, is happy to make alterations as requested, and will do all she can to ensure that the work meets the clients’ expectations in every way, including checking all historical details. I would highly recommend Michelle and look forward to working with her again in the future.'

Alison Vina, Founder, Book of My Life

Copywriting for businesses

• Are you launching a new product or business and need a professionally written press release to generate publicity?
• Do you need help with writing the content for your website?
• Have you already launched a website but feel that the copy does not really 'sell' your business, and what it offers?
• Do you need a corporate brochure to showcase your company's products and/or services?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, I can help. I am a highly experienced writer offering a range of copywriting services for businesses. They include writing press releases, brochures, blog posts, content for websites, and much more.

Clear and concise copy is essential to communicate effectively with your customers, whatever your size of business. I pride myself on taking the time to talk through a brief to fully understand your target audience and its needs. I will then write interesting, relevant copy tailored to your specific industry and customers, whether you're in retail or recruitment, catering or construction.

Recent copywriting projects have included:

• regular blog posts for a window covering company
• rewriting the copy for a website to make it more user-friendly
• web user guides for a business-to-business organisation
• a series of teachers' notes for a digital resource about the Victorians

If you already have copy written for promotional materials and need to check it's ready for publication, please see my editing and proofreading services.

Writing histories of charities and organisations

Charities and companies often want to mark significant anniversaries, such as centenaries, with a publication about their history. One such charity is Independent Age which, in 2013, celebrated its 150th anniversary. I was commissioned to write the publication but not a traditional chronological history; instead, to reflect the fact that Independent Age is now a modern charity, it was to be based around the idea of '150 facts you didn't know about Independent Age' that would also work well as content for the website. Using the charity's fantastic archive of original sources, I combined my research, writing and editing skills to come up with 150 interesting facts about Independent Age during its long history. The result was a fascinating collection of mini stories that engaged the charity's supporters and staff, and the older people, families and carers they help.

'Michelle researched and wrote our 150th anniversary publication in collaboration with our editorial team. Her work was of a high standard, on time and to budget, and I would be happy to recommend her research, writing and editorial skills to anyone.'

Caroline Moye, Head of Marketing, Independent Age