English Alum in the Spotlight: Erin Brenner
"A lot of thought and strategy must happen before a word is written. Then those words need care and pruning before the piece is ready for the world."
by Joseph Bova
Erin Brenner, class of 1994, is a Writer and Editor. In 2005, she founded Right Touch Editing (https://www.righttouchediting.com/), a communications firm with a mission to provide businesses and self-publishing authors with top-notch editorial services. Students may recognize Erin from SSU’s Fall 2019 “Careers in Writing” panel.
What does your job involve?
I run my own communications firm. I write, edit, and train different types of clients, including software companies, education companies, business professionals, and book authors. I write content marketing pieces, website copy, and social media profiles. My team and I edit reports, website copy, articles, and self-publishing books. I also provide communications training to companies and private coaching to writers.
What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
I love working on new ideas and helping clients share their message in a way that will land with the reader. Because just about everyone does some writing in their life, there's a tendency to think it's easy to write something for professional use. To persuade people or teach people with the written word. It's not. A lot of thought and strategy must happen before a word is written. Then those words need care and pruning before the piece is ready for the world. Writing and editing are crafts that take years to become good at.
What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in your career?
You need to be able to listen not just to what someone is saying but what they're trying to say. What's the subtext of what your client saying to you? You also need to be comfortable with not getting something right on the first try. Whether you're writing or editing for a client, you're trying to get in their head and pull out that ideal image as best you can. It must be a conversation between you and the client, and their interest must come first.
How do you adapt and stay current on developments in your field?
I belong to a couple of professional organizations that offer training and news, as well as to a few casual social media groups. I attend conferences annually, I read articles and books, and I listen to podcasts. You must stay plugged in to new ideas and you must keep learning to stay relevant.
Have you had other jobs you'd like to tell us about?
Before running my own company, I had several corporate editing jobs. They gave me a strong base to build from, not just in how corporate communications work but also in how to work with internal clients and how companies work. Having worked within companies allows me to better understand my clients' needs and obstacles.
What were your favorite classes at SSU?
Dr. Elia's literary criticism classes have stayed with me: What makes writing good? What makes it something we can call a "classic"? I also enjoyed the Shakespeare classes, and the women's lit class really opened my eyes.
What was your favorite thing about SSU?
How committed staff and professors were to ensure that every student could succeed, no matter their background, economic status, or life status. It was a place where nontraditional students had an opportunity to succeed as much as the traditional students did.
Why did you want to major in English?
I loved to read! (I still do.) I didn't know what I wanted to do with an English degree, but I knew I was a good writer and I was passionate about books. With guidance from professors, I found a way to put that passion to work.
Where can we find your works?
I have written a lot about writing and freelancing in articles and blog posts. You can find some of my work at my website (https://www.righttouchediting.com/blog/), by blog (https://thewritingresource.net/), and Visual Thesaurus (https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/contributors/22). You can also check out my grammar workbook, which contains quick lessons and lots of exercises: https://www.amazon.com/Copyeditings-Grammar-Tune-Up-Workbook-Brenner/dp/0997692901/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=erin+brenner&qid=1581346544&sr=8-1.
If you are interested in connecting with Erin, you can reach out to her via email: erin.brenner@gmail.com