Grace McKirdy

Background

About Grace McKirdy

The heart of my freelance business is a love for well constructed writing. Good writing feels like it is discovered, unburied, and polished, rather than invented or pieced together. It is my joy to teach writing, proofread and feedback writing, and supply writing to anyone who asks for it. My products are completed works that strive to satisfy and also inspire. At heart, I am an educator, and am especially drawn to informative and academic writing. Good writing makes it easy to communicate even difficult ideas, and easy for the reader to learn. This kind of writing requires mastery on two levels: the big picture and the details. I am skilled at balancing both clarity and accessibility. To teach this art is also a passion and a talent of mine. I have taught writing for every reason, and at every stage of English language learning, whether the language is native or foreign, or some combination of both. Everyone needs something different to learn with. Children need the rules to structure the ideas. Applicants need the ideas to supersede the word count. Practitioners need the word count to produce fluidity and insight without the judgment of productivity. EFL learners need productivity over tradition or paying dues. I also teach Contemplative Writing, a process for writing or for contemplating, based in the foundations of my Buddhist community. Every project has its purpose, and therefore its form. When I have clients rather than students, I seek to understand the perspective of the project requested of me so that my drafts, and eventually my polishings, don't sacrifice the point for the hyperfocus required of a commission. I prefer contracts based on the project, rather than by the hour, so that I can take my time creating something beautiful without breaking the client's bank.