Karleen Stevens McAllester Writer and Editor
 

Professional Writing & Editing Solutions

As a business and technical writer, I've helped introduce a wide range of new technology, products and services. Communication is the key to helping people feel comfortable and informed about something new.

Past projects include...

Streamlined Business Proposals
Consultants must write a lot of proposals to generate and maintain their business, but NewCircle Consulting was getting bogged down in the process. To speed things up, I created a template that described and categorized every web development service they offered. The new template made it easier for New Circle to create well-written customized proposals for every potential client.
 

Online Help for Innovative Systems
Documentation for Software and Web Applications InfoMedia Designs developed an online learning system to support staff training and development at Lucent. I wrote the online help, using diagrams to introduce new concepts, and screen shots to explain procedures, for both the instructors and learners.
 

Information on Nonprofit Services
Mobile C.A.R.E. was on a mission to provide asthma treatment to Chicago children who lacked access to healthcare, but more funding and stronger community relationships were needed. I helped spread the word by creating a new website, explaining what asthma is and why Mobile C.A.R.E. works.
 

Technical Proposals & Case Studies
Proposals, RFPs, Business Plans and Presentations Vertek, a developer of information and business solutions, wanted to win more Fortune 500 contracts by creating better technical proposals and case studies. To support Vertek's team of business and technical consultants, I organized the writing process, managed deadlines, and edited and formatted documents. The results were readable, detailed, logical and persuasive. Vertek grew rapidly, eventually spinning off Synchronoss.
 

Training Guide for a Data Entry Process
To study the cost-effectiveness of federal job training, Mathematica Policy Research needed staff at employment centers around the country to help collect data. I wrote a training guide for the new data entry process and database, using flow charts and instructions to help participants understand how to support the project.
 

Comprehensive Documentation for Digital Media Technology
User Guides and Online Help for Film and Video Editing Systems Before YouTube, back when many computers were still running DOS, I wrote documentation for the Avid Media Composer, a non-linear system for editing digital video. Avid started a lot of new stuff from scratch, and so did I, cranking out everything from user guides to API docs, online help to hardware installation instructions.

During my five-year stint at Avid, I also learned a tough lesson: everyone needs technical information but no one wants to spend time learning it. To compensate, I edited drafts down to the essentials, replaced text with illustrations, tagged topics for indexing, and used input from customers and colleagues to sift out what was important.

Contact me for specific writing samples or more information.

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