Because plain is the new black
I’ve lived an illiterate life in several countries—China, Vietnam, and most recently, South Korea. I know what it’s like to see the great communication gap between the bits of content I understand and all the stuff I don’t.
I’ve filled in fiddly government forms in a foreign language, spoken to bank clerks on the phone, and tried to make sense of the messages posted in our building’s lift.
And I’ve gotten it all wrong. I’ve left important details out. I agreed to some bank thing I don’t understand. And is someone on the 7th floor renovating or are they inviting me to a block party?
Being illiterate in other lands has made me a better writer.
It’s why I’m an advocate of smart content that follows plain English principles.
Because people ‘get’ smart content. They read it. They understand it the first time they read it. They can skim it and still get it. They know what to do next.
Sometimes you need to look beyond words
That’s where I can help.
People aren’t visiting your website for fun
Looking beyond the words is about connecting your user’s intent with your business goals. It’s about writing clear and concise content that intersects the two. It’s about giving the people what they need in the right way to help them successfully complete their task.
Plain content doesn’t mean boring copy
Plain English means opening your content to more people. It means more people ‘getting it’ the first time they read or scan it. Plain English means a better user experience.
Everyone benefits from plain English
I’m a highly experienced plain English writer and editor. I can transform legalese and bureaucratic waffle into something clear and concise.
I recently engaged Sandra to undertake plain English editing of more than 100 pages for our corporate website redevelopment project. I knew Sandra was the right choice for our project from the moment I read the introduction on her website. Honest, engaging and intelligent are all values I look for in contractors and colleagues alike, and Sandra has these in spades and it shows in her work. She’s highly skilled at her craft and I highly recommend Sandra to anyone looking for a plain English writer or editor, especially if you’re in the digital space.
– Emma Hill, City of Greater Dandenong
About Sandra Muller
Sandra Muller is a copywriter, editor, content strategist and plain English advocate. She has worked in the online content and UX design space since the days of noisy modems.
Feed her a glass or two of bubbles and she’ll gladly do an impression. (Actually, she doesn’t even need the bubbles. Just ask her!)
Sandra works with large organisations that have a complex web project deliver in the next few months. She works with people expected to continue with business as usual (BAU) while delivering a high-profile content project. That’s probably you, right?
Sandra spent years on your side of the security door. She had a lanyard with one of those swipe cards with her photo on it. She has written the briefs and put together RFQs. She’s brought in contractors because she knew continuing with BAU and managing a content project was too much work. She was YOU.
She’s transformed thousands of pages of bureaucratic waffle into smart content that people ‘get’ the first time they read it.
Sandra has managed teams of writers and editors to deliver content to meet seemingly impossible deadlines.
Formal qualifications
On the formal side of things, Sandra has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Professional Writing and an Advanced Diploma in Professional Screenwriting, majoring in writing for Digital Media. She also has a post-graduate qualification in international business.
Life beyond the laptop
For a lover of words, she’s often amazed she married a man who barely spoke high school level English when they met in South Korea. They’ve travelled the world together and are raising a bilingual boy. Plain language rules their world.
After years of perfecting the art of conference calling from South Korea, Sandra and her family settled in the foothills of the Macedon Ranges in Melbourne’s north. There are no lanyards here, but she does have a hearty dose of empathy for you and your audience. And maybe a side dish of kimchi.
(Oh, and for the record, the 7th floor was renovating.)