About Me (and Sarah Gets It Write)

It all started in the halcyon days of my 1980s childhood, when my mother handed me an exquisitely illustrated copy of Little Women. I was 10, and immediately captivated by the story of the intrepid March sisters. I adored mischievous Amy, sweet Beth and practical Meg, admittedly as much for their grit and lively personalities as the fairy-tale-princess looks with which the illustrator endowed them. I kind of overlooked poor Jo. She was a bit too plain and “adult” for me, I suppose.

Around this time, I’d discovered writing. My teacher had assigned us a short story, and I reveled in my ability to create entire people, places, worlds—with a pencil and some paper. It felt like a magic trick. Even with my tepid reception of Jo in Little Women, the fact that she was a writer did register. It took a trip with my parents to Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott and her family, to really solidify this whole writer thing in my mind. There, I saw the tiny little desk where Alcott wrote Little Women. I knew she was Jo in the novel, and something about seeing that desk—such an insubstantial piece of furniture, but where Alcott had created the entire world of the March sisters—clicked in my mind. I wanted to be writer.

I’ve pretty much been writing ever since. Not long out of college, I got a job as an assistant editor position at a trade magazine. Here, I learned that I could get paid to write. After four years (and an eventual promotion to managing editor), I struck out on my own as a freelance writer. Some more things I picked up along the way:

• How to pitch and write feature articles, short pieces and newsletters for a variety of different publications, each with its own unique voice, style and area of focus. Some of these outlets include Salon.com, the New York Post, Time Out New York, the Queens Chronicle, the International Association of Pet Fashion Professionals blog and newsletter, Sports TV Production, Broadcast Engineering and Videography.

• The art of crafting press releases, case studies and executive or corporate bios that actually get read by the target audience.

• The ability to proofread and copyedit with precision, and according to AP Style.

Eventually, the lure of a steady paycheck brought me back to full-time office work, as an account executive at D. Pagan Communications, a public relations firm with clients in the professional broadcast and audio production industries. Here, I developed a true zeal for the challenge of creating content that grabs the attention of a target audience, boosting the image and visibility of a particular product, service or offering. I also further honed my copyediting skills, learned to write new-business proposals, and got my head around copy for social media.

Not surprisingly, I loved the writing aspect of my job a little more than the account executive bit. So I left the company (with my boss’s good wishes—she is a client) to start Sarah Gets It Write. It had dawned on me that as a journalist with a PR background, I had something unique to offer: a writer who understands both the mind of the editor and the people the editor (or the PR pro pitching the editor) wants to reach. This is my value proposition. I can help you deliver better writing about you or your company to the people you want to read it. I’m also a content strategist, so if you’re scratching your head over how to create something that really sells your audience on you or your company, please don’t hesitate to ask me how to do it. I can even help you create an overall media strategy.

Want more specifics on my background? Feel free to check out my resume here. I also invite you to give me a call at 1.718.476.6702 or email me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!