“Next!”

Here at the Clinic, I examine your content, prescribe what it needs, and do whatever it takes to give it a clean bill of health. I specialize in writing and editorial services in the fields of health, medicine, and biotechnology. Like any good text doctor, I care about your content’s overall health, and I’m into long-term patient-provider relationships, so I follow a few basic principles:

1. I listen. Before diving in with my scalpel (pen), I listen carefully to your needs. I want to know what matters to YOU, including where you’re coming from and what you’d like your text to achieve.

1. I practice preventive medicine. Meaning, I aim to teach you how to keep your text healthy in the first place while avoiding pitfalls. So expect lots of kind, constructive comments, tips, and support along the way.

1. I believe in trust and transparency. No obscure terms or gotcha pricing here. We’ll work together to set clear expectations and deadlines, so we can focus on what matters: healthy content without weird bills showing up months later.

Of course you want to avoid bad writing like the plague. But how? By getting to the beating heart of what you mean. I use evidence-based ways to get your words into shape so they can do their job. I’ve prepped some service package ideas to get us started:

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The Annual Exam

Your content has great bones, but could use a check-up. My proofreading and basic copyediting services are a good match if your text is:

• Bloated or should lose a little weight. I’ll trim your word count.
• Messy, lumpy, or unsightly. I’ll proof it and make it pretty. No more typos or awkwardness.
• Passive. I’ll inject active verbs and voice to give it a stronger pulse.

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Outpatient Surgery

So your content needs a little more work. No problem! With my in-depth editorial services, we’ll have your words up and running, STAT. Consider this option if your text is:

• Still growing. I’ll shape it into a solid narrative that makes sense.
• Choppy, with gaps in its structure. I’ll fill in the words you need (kind of like bones knitting.)
• Out of order. I’ll reorder it until it’s a streamlined thing of beauty.

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Complex Surgery

Maybe your content seems really…sick, or maybe it doesn’t even exist. As a developmental editor, I’ll use my steady hands and eagle eyes to operate until things are where they should be. Or I’ll craft exactly what you need, including fresh text. Pick this if your document is:

• A stage 4 mess, or has too many metastasizing voices. I’ll make it coherent and cohesive.
• Taking its last gasp. I’ll give it some serious CPR, electrifying it with every volt I’ve got in my editorial operating suite. Stand back!
• MIA. I’ll get into my lab and create a stunning text from scratch (no mutations or monsters, I promise.)

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I love helping texts heal. With a Ph.D in public health genetics and an MFA in creative writing, I know a lot of ways to bring out the best in your work. And now I’ve been writing, editing, and conducting research for more than a decade, so I’d say your texts are in good hands with me. I’ve worked in Federal, non-profit, business, and freelance settings, and have experience in digital content production, science writing and editing, health coaching, teaching writing, photography, and even the history of medicine, so you name it, I’m probably game for it.

• Some topics I work with frequently: public health, bioethics, genomics, synthetic biology, medicine, health care systems, and (of all things) environmental security. But I love pretty much all things science–maybe you have a new project for me?

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“You have that particularly rare combination of intellectual, interpersonal, and emotional intelligence that empower highly successful people and I know the world has more great things in store for you. “

A former boss

CV Snippets & project examples

• Helped oversee Federal science and technology research activities for an extensive portfolio in human health, wellness, and biotechnology; organized workshops convening 80-200 participants from Federal and academic agencies; wrote high-level briefings, memos, white papers, reports, and communication strategies for senior leadership.
• Wrote my Ph.D. dissertation, “Thesis: Trust and Consequences: Biorepositories, Health Learning Systems, and Beyond,” on building trust in patient-provider relationships, particularly when biobanks and research are part of the care system. Designed a public communications strategy for a biobank’s specimen donation system and conducted research to develop an associated patient consent process.
• Helped conduct qualitative and mixed methods research on patient preferences and medical ethics that contributed to policy development; contributed to archival research on the 1918-19 influenza epidemic; produced weekly news briefing for a global professional and academic audience on H1N1 pandemic influenza, H1N5 avian influenza, and emerging global infections throughout ASEAN and APEC countries.

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“Your document captured the event so precisely, it was like you were actually there in the room with us, even though I know you weren’t.”

A former client

A few highlights

• I was a former American Association for the Advancement of Science Science & Technology Policy Fellow (and later published book reviews in Science.)
• I was also a Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, too.
• And a Climate Security Fellow at the Center for Climate and Security.
• A draft of a novel won the Hopwood Award when I was an MFA student at the University of Michigan, and poems, essays, and short stories I’ve written since have been published in many literary journals–more than 25 so far, including Harvard Review, The Columbia Review, and Conjunctions.

“Feel free to put me down as a reference, for this or, quite frankly, anything else. You were awesome to work with.”

A former colleague

Some fun facts

• I’m trying to find an agent for a novel about the young women who survived Seattle’s Green River Killer in the 1980s.
• Rock-climbing, reading, and fine scotch are a few of my favorite things.
• I’m learning perfumery and Serbian.

Now tell me about yourself:

Want me sink my teeth into your text? Wonderful. Just contact me for a quote.

Not sure what you need but still intrigued? Let’s brainstorm.

Project rates start at $0.03 US per word and range depending on page count and complexity. My strength is capturing your unique voice (and doing it fast.) I aim to deliver very high value.

I specialize in STEM writing and editorial services and particularly love to collaborate with people and agencies who have a clear idea of their clients and want their words to change the world.

Email: cyanjameswrites at gmail dot com

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