Writing & Editing
JD Wright
I understand the nuance that goes into clearly conveying impact and intention using the power of language. The way you wield your (s)words can be the difference between a great conquest and a swift defeat. Your words substantiate your credibility and I'm here to help arrange those words to make sure you clearly identify who, what, how and why.
Another chapter of the burnout chronicles that I'll probably delete but while I have this void of a [LinkedIn] page that is clearly not employable anyway, I often think about how our standards are built upon what we get used to.
Like what if we stopped pretending that money moves everything? We have the ability to harvest natural resources, grow & cook crops, generate energy, distribute accurate information, people know how to do these things. But at every stop, we refuse to pass them on without payment. If you could trust that the people you provide for wouldn't just take until they drained you, if we all provided goods and services on a basis of talent, trust, reciprocity and altruistic knowledge, how many people would still be living because they didn't starve or freeze to death? What would I be doing with my health if I didn't need "benefits from a healthcare marketplace" just so I could get a routine check-up, dental cleaning or grief counseling to cope with the fact that my mom (like countless others) died an abrupt, senseless, slow, miserable death that she didn't have to?
What new places could I discover in my leisure if I didn't have to account for gas, toll roads, parking and the obligatory refreshment ☕️ I'm expected to buy just to take up space in an otherwise free third space to apply to jobs that aren't actually hiring but instead scraping data off of my resume so they can continue to be the only ones making money?
I often think about how much more I could be bringing & receiving in my relationships if I knew what it felt like to be someone's # 1 priority already by my standards, rather than what they tell me I should be satisfied with.
What if I knew I was truly important?
What if I wasn't seeking out a first-time feeling that so many others have known from birth? What if it wasn't such a tall ask to find someone authentic, honest and amicable? What if I didn't know what it felt like to be used and abused by people that lie and waste your time for no better reason than for their own amusement, to see what you'll go for and not how happy the two of you could be?
If I had grown up with people that cared about the things that hurt me, that didn't tell me to lower my standards and expect less from "young, selfish friends," that didn't laugh when I cried, what else could I dream of?
I should already know what it feels like to have my words taken seriously by people who have the ability to affect change in my life. If I knew that my words mattered to other people, how vulnerable could I be? Would I finally know what it's like to trust someone? How do you learn forgiveness so late in life when it feels like everyone in your life could so easily wash their hands of you?
It took me so long to realize I have been living my life through a lens that is shaded with apathy and ambivalence.
"Nobody's going to notice, or care or be moved whether it works out or not."
"We're never going to talk about this again if I don't bring it up."
"If I didn't initiate every one of our conversations, I would never hear from this person again for as long as we live."
It took me a long time of being the only one to acknowledge the consequences of my experiences before I asked myself, "How have I been moving through the world that is resultant of my unyielding realization that no one cares whether I'm here or not?" In short; what's like to not be so forgettable?
Technical Writing excerpts I composed or edited from essays and reports from as a Teaching Assistant and Writer during undergrad.
I was asked to deliver morning remarks to a large group of Black undergraduates about the significance of faith or "Imani" as it related to the seven days of Kwanzaa and shared values amongst the group. Every morning, the group would be galvanized by the chosen speaker to present the Kwanzaa word of the day
This definition kind of builds on itself. The foundation: we need to believe in the efficacy of ourselves and others.
We need to communicate and establish agreement upon our current circumstances and address our journey and its obstacles through our individual actions.
At this point we can continue to build and cultivate a sense of.... unity but I feel like there’s a better word for it, do y’all know another term I could use for unity? (Group: UMOJA! 🗣️)
This is where we commit to the cause by beginning to network and make larger scale, collective efforts as groups in our homes, our extended families, our friends, our Black community. If we don’t have faith in each other, we just have our foundation and it’s not even solid because how can you have a revolution by yourself? That’s the only person you’re counting on if you don’t have faith in other people and if you don’t even have faith in yourself then we really can’t go anywhere. So Imani is important because we need to be able to depend on one another for support and accountability as we STRIVE to advance our entire community.
Lastly, are some editing samples from an essay I was consulted on for a student who was proposing an appeal to their university's disciplinary board. Each revision suggestion on the right corresponds to the tangerine orange highlighted segment.
Medical Terminology outline I used to composed on a weekly basis for my team of 15 junior Medical Scribes.
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Posted Apr 24, 2024
Check out some of my writing samples and editing footnotes!
