Last year I became a writing expert on AllExperts.com, a large-scale question and answer service on the internet, where volunteers share knowledge in their area of expertise. What types of questions does a writing expert receive at AllExperts.com?
Well, it’s an interesting assortment of inquiries. For the cynical members of our audience, yes, a few high school students have asked me to edit their essays for college admissions applications. On the other hand, there are questions from those who are genuinely stumped. People for whom English is not their first language have asked for help interpreting what an author meant by a certain turn of phrase. I’ve also been asked to give advice on cover letters, letters of resignation, and letters asking for a refund.
Other than that, as you’d suspect, most of the questions are good ol’ grammar questions. I’ve had fun talking with people who truly want to know the answers to grammar questions. Who knew other people besides geeks like me really cared?
I’ve realized – again – that my stuff (knowledge, programs, passion) works best when the participants really want to be there. That’s who my market is: people who really care about writing. It’s not people who don’t want to be there or who are only doing this because they’ve been told to or think it’s something they ought to do. My gift is helping people become stronger writers – people who really want to write well.
So you can come find me on AllExperts.com, or you can get the full force of the Dawn (I told you I get a lot of mileage out of my first name) in one of my classes. So if you want to write well, want to write with a strong voice, or you want to learn some strategies to let those ideas flow, come find me.
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