Purple pens and party time

Three years ago I hit publish on a Wix site, held my breath, and learned that a business is not built overnight.

Nor is it built alone.

In celebration of three years of Wordsmith Services I would like to offer three thanks to the pens, the people, and the parties that have helped me arrive at this moment.

1: Thank you to the University of Wyoming Writing Center and its purple pens

I worked as a writing consultant at the Writing Center for three years, a foundational job in my journey of starting Wordsmith. At the Writing Center we all used purple pens, believing in the power of kindness as an element of our constructive feedback. Getting back an essay that is soaked in red scribbles can feel like a terrible sort of death sentence. Purple is different—kinder, too.

I still work with these pens on my desk and it reminds me to be kind in my feedback and to not just make things “right” but “better.” The world does not need more grammar Nazis.

2: Thank you to my first clients and their projects

I am grateful for the people who have trusted me with their projects and words. My first client. First workshop. First video call. First book. I’m thankful for those who went first so I could learn and grow. They have some kind things to say. :)

3: thank you to my spelling bee buddies

I celebrated the first anniversary of my business with a bundt cake and a spelling bee. Friends gathered to pass a dictionary around the room and quiz each other about the applications of obscure words like quixotic.

I’m grateful for the people who have encouraged, supported, and believed in the worth of Wordsmith sometimes even more than I did at times. Thank you for celebrating the small steps.

It’s time to bake another cake! Wordsmith Services turns three this March. This is just the beginning.

As part of the next chapter of Wordsmith Services, I’ve created a new website and am better communicating what I do and who I serve (don’t we love editing?!).

Grant writing, ministry communication, scholarship essays, academic projects, and a LOT more…check out wordsmithservices.net to see some of the changes (and more in the next few weeks! Did I mention I’m learning that a business is not built overnight?).

In the last three years I’ve grown from working on my grammar to building better systems. Good communication is about SO much more than just the words. I hope this newsletter encourages and equips you to use words with confidence and be a better communicator on the job market, in your family, at work, as an applicant, and as an everyday conversationalist.

This week’s tip is to send a thank you. Reach out to someone who has shaped who you are, where you are or where you’d like to go. Tell them you appreciate them! Bonus points if you write a handwritten note.

It takes a village and I’m grateful you’re in mine.

Thanks for being you.

Emily M