Writing / Editing

Writing about math is not easy. But that's what I did as a freelance writer for Mometrix, the test prep company. I wrote math scripts that tried to make math accessible. I did this by breaking down math concepts to their bare essentials. First I’d establish a common language by defining the necessary vocabulary. Then I’d solve problems and try to play my internal process in slow motion. What did I see and what knowledge did it trigger? This kind of metacognition is surprisingly difficult to do since it all happens so quickly inside the mind. Next I’d look for “problem spots” where errors are most likely to occur.

After creating an outline and then writing a first draft, I’d have to summon my inner editor to cut it all down. Less is usually more so I had to weigh which parts were indispensible and which could be cut or delayed to the example section. I tried to anticipate (and answer) the viewer's questions to keep them engaged. All the while I used “we” language to make the viewer feel they weren't alone in their math knowledge quest.

Sample links:
Script Sample – Circle Area & Circumference
Script Sample – Trig Identities
Link to Mometrix Video on Angles
Link to Mometrix Video on Cosine
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My professional writing work started with Internal Communications at Foxwoods Resort Casino. My most challenging regular assignment was writing the CEO’s weekly message. It had to fit into a small space on the front panel trifold flyer I produced for every employee (all 12,000 of them), so I was limited to about 200 words. The CEO was a funny, warm character – I had to find that tone while conveying important information employees needed to know about casino events so they could help customers they encountered during their shifts. I also wrote teleprompter scripts for our in-house television show, FNN (Foxwoods News Network).

A big challenge I encountered in internal communications at Foxwoods was writing a second version of most copy for translation. Every publication was translated for the many employees who only spoke Spanish, Mandarin or French Creole. We used a translation service (this was before the days of Google Translate), but I was careful to provide text that didn't use idioms or English-specific expressions which could cause problems in translation.
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