It’s not often that writers are in the limelight. Some may achieve fame by hitting the bestseller lists, but most practice their craft quietly behind the scenes, especially if creating content like we do around here. These blog posts, articles and product descriptions go out into the world without bylines, but they’re highly impactful for the businesses that need them. Words make the internet go ’round, after all.
But, just because your name’s not in lights, you still deserve to take a bow on center stage. That’s why we love it each month when we get to pull a writer out from behind their computer screen. They get to bask in the writerly spotlight and the rest of us learn some cool facts about our virtual colleagues. Case in point: we had no idea that today’s featured scribe regularly steps onto a stage — we’re talking a literal one, here — to wow audiences with her musical skills. In fact, if we had a talent show, I’ve no doubt she’d challenge for first prize.
Now, you’ve got to read on!
Meet Elizabeth Michael, known in real life as Annie. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Annie now lives in Studio City, a Los Angeles neighborhood where the Hollywood stars shine bright.
Annie has been writing since she “was old enough to use a pen”, flexing her creativity in writing groups while in school. Over the last decade, she’s translated her talent for composing clear, focused copy into a side gig as a professional online writer. When a friend from another platform referred her to Crowd Content, she ventured into our neck of the internet and has settled in as one of our most consistent and reliable freelancers.
What is it about our community that keeps her coming back to pick up work from the queues? “The support staff on Crowd Content is the best out of any platform,” Annie says. “The weekly pay is great, and I love the variety of projects to choose from.”
You know we love compliments, but in an effort to be fair and balanced, we also ask Annie for suggestions of how to make things even better. Despite the invitation to offer a critique, she’s giving us a flawless five-star review. “Nothing, everything is great,” she enthuses. Just what we like to hear!
Our content managers are equally delighted, relying on Annie’s writing prowess to deliver all sorts of copy to clients. When pressed to pick a favorite project, she gives a shout-out to one team in particular. “I really enjoy writing the Indeed articles,” she says of the career website. “Every batch is a little different from the last, the pay is great, and the editors are really nice.”
She does find some types of writing easier to tackle than others. “With online content, implementing specific keyword phrases can be challenging — it can create awkward sentences,” she explains. She also has a little confession to make. “I try to avoid technical writing when possible, it’s not my strongest area.” Fair enough. All writers have their proverbial kryptonite, so we’ll give her a pass on that one.
In an ideal world we’d get to keep Annie and her smooth prose all to ourselves, but her skills are in high demand. She lives in the showbiz capital of the world, after all. Annie works in the television industry as a transcriber and script coordinator. She gets scripts ready for production, incorporating changes and proofreading and formatting the pages.
While this sounds glamorous, this work goes on outside of the public eye, just like content writing. It’s only when she has time to play that she takes to the stage. She exchanges her laptop for a microphone and lets a whole different side come to the surface. “Outside of writing, my main interest is singing,” she explains. “I sing all types of music and play the piano, but enjoy cabaret/musical theatre the most.”
This creative passion needs an outlet, and Annie is part of a music school that lets her express her love for music and performance in front of audiences. “We put on shows, and I perform at cabaret open mics,” she says. I trust that Annie is setting aside VIP tickets for all of us at her next appearance.
In the meantime, our show must go on. We’ve got more ground to cover, so let’s get back to the task at hand: getting to know everything about our writer of the month.
Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “It’s hard to pick one author but Stephen King is at the top of my list, followed by Judy Blume. One of my favorite books is She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb.”
What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “Favorite restaurant is Perkins Family Restaurant in Minnesota.”
What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “Too many TV shows to choose — lots of favorite movies but my top three are Ice Castles, All That Jazz and Magnolia.”
Do you have any advice for new writers? “Don’t be afraid to take on assignments that you may feel are challenging, those projects may end up being your favorites down the line.”
What are the five worst words in the English language? “For me, the worst words (to spell) are bureau, weird, hyacinth, professor and accommodate.”
Complete this sentence: When I’m not working… “I love to shop online, attend my voice lessons and perform with a band.”
Well, the house lights are coming up, so that’s a sign this writerly spotlight is over. My appreciation goes out to Annie for a welcome interlude from keywords and commas. We love finding out who’s behind the smiling profile pictures on the platform. Maybe next time, it’ll be you!
