Helping You Express Yourself with Clarity & Style: Poignant Pen Wordsmithing Opens its Doors

June 16, 2009 - PRLog -- Lisa Howard, Detroit-based professional wordsmith and the author of www.theculturedcook.com, has recently established Poignant Pen LL to provide clients with a wide array of editorial services.  From basic proofreading to intensive copyediting to book coaching and development, Lisa combines all aspects of her language background to make sure her clients’ words make an impact.

“I love being part of the writing process,” she says, “whether it’s at the conceptual stage of a large book project or a client needs assistance with refining his final business message and tone.  And because I’ve done so much writing in my professional life—novels, articles for magazines, website content, business reports, admissions essays, research papers, etc.—I can identify with the writer’s concerns and needs.  My background in linguistics comes in handy as well:  since I’m a certified ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor and speak German and Spanish, that means I’ve been on both sides of the grammarian’s desk.

“But being a wordsmith is much more than making sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed—it’s about the client and I working together to make sure their words flow and have maximum impact.  When they engage my services, my clients are forced to focus their ideas and thoughts before they reach their do-or-die audience.
 
“That’s what being a wordsmith means:  I make your words shine.”

During her college years, Lisa earned degrees in two areas of study:  Anthropology and German Language & Literature.  A semester spent studying abroad in Germany rounded out her program, as did a minor in Art History and certificates in teaching ESL and translating German-English documents.  The latter opened the door to her working as the Translator and Office Manager at a major German company.  “While I enjoyed having the opportunity to do a lot of writing, translating and editing on a daily basis,” she says, “I eventually decided that I would rather do it for my own company than someone else’s.”  

In 2008, Lisa’s passion for languages led her to Costa Rica, where she enrolled in an intensive language school to build upon her self-taught knowledge of Spanish.  “I came to the conclusion that I had to actually live in the country,” she says, waving a hand at the word live.  “It was just like learning German—I wasn’t going to be fluent unless I immersed myself in the language.  So I chose a language school in Costa Rica, packed my bags, and my corporate position.  

“When I came back, I began developing my own companies.  I’d already written several novels and begun to freelance for magazines; I had also been fascinated with food, health and cooking for many years.  The latter led me to establish www.theculturedcook.com, my culinary website, while my love for languages led me to becoming a wordsmith in an official capacity.  As one of my clients has said, I have a passion for making sure that ‘the content meets the message’!”

More information about Poignant Pen’s services can be found at www.poignantpen.com.