My Values
Empathy
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Be in the moment with individuals.
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Find the perspective behind their story, and let it guide your work.
Collaboration
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Listen twice as long as you talk.
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Never introduce an idea with "Yes, but . . ."
Respect
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Assume clients are just as smart as you are—or smarter.
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Build their confidence. Keep their confidences.
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Remember it's their story.
Continual Improvement
Quarterly Expertise Audit: Find the areas where you need to improve.
Give Back
Volunteer in the community—editing or otherwise—once a quarter.
Ted Olson
Are you writing fiction—say, literary, historical, or mystery? Or maybe you're working on a memoir. Looking for a ghostwriter? Okay, let's talk!
Writing under the eyes of Fortune 500 companies makes one a deadline disciple, a dogged proofreader, and a fussy line editor. For me, that’s where it all started.
Following a 31-year career copywriting for companies such as American Express, Newport News Shipbuilding, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Bank of America, Johnson Matthey, Stanford University, Bayer, and Caterpillar, I’ve aligned my work to my heart: fiction and creative nonfiction—especially memoir. I’ve spent the past 30 years studying creative writing and honing my critiquing and editing skills.
I’m particularly fond of character-driven stories, regardless of genre. While working on my first novel, I spent hours with a developmental editor who’d read my manuscript and challenged me to make some significant revisions. It was literary thoracic surgery. I said goodbye to half my characters and began plotting what turned out to be a much better story. Over the years, I’ve learned to focus on the basics: characterization, imagery, dialogue, diction, and the modulation of point-of-view. Plot develops out of character. And even with the author’s idea of where the story is going, writing is still a discovery process. The kick, now, is teaching authors those skills and helping them on their road to publication.
I am a 2019 MFA graduate of the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University where I was the recipient of the Linda Bierds and Carol Houck Smith Graduate Scholarship. I’ve self-published a novel titled Cape Wrath. My writing has also appeared in The Write Launch, Griffel, Half and One, and The Santa Barbara Literary Journal.
