ABOUT MY WRITING…
I have been a journalist for long enough to know that the best stories are almost never the obvious ones. The most important skill in this work isn’t writing, it’s listening and having deep curiousity for all sorts of random stuff…
My career began in political reporting where I started out as an industrial correspondent (not sure there are any left now!) and from there I moved through news editing, features editing became a deputy editor and then an editor. All of that gave me a comprehensive understanding of how a publication works at every level, from the commissioning of a single piece to the managing and shaping of an entire editorial team and identity.
I’m an award-winning blogger, which definitely showed something that two decades of traditional publishing never quite did: what it takes to build a loyal, engaged readership from scratch, on the strength of your writing alone, with no institutional platform behind you and no guarantee that anyone is paying attention! That experience changed how I think about writing and audience building in ways I continue to draw on every day.
I have edited magazines and supplements, commissioned and mentored writers at every stage of their careers and ghostwritten for companies, entrepreneurs and the odd celebrity (who shall remain nameless) who needed someone who could find the shape of their argument, inhabit their voice on the page and produce work they were genuinely proud to put their name and company reputation to. Ghostwriting is a discipline I find absorbing precisely because of the constraint it places, I have to disappear entirely and write something better and truer than the client could have produced alone.
My work has appeared across UK and Irish print and digital media, spanning news, features, health, lifestyle and culture. I have interviewed everyone from politicians and scientists to artists, activists and people experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives – and tell the stories with precision and care, and respect the intelligence of the person reading it.
What I’m available for:
I take on a select number of commissions and projects at any one time and I work with editors, brands and individuals who care about quality content and writing.
Current availability includes:
Journalism & feature writing: long and short form, across health, wellness, human interest, culture and lifestyle
Ghostwriting: for entrepreneurs and public figures who have something important to say and need someone who can say it in their voice with rigour and craft
Communication consultancy: working with companies, brands and charities who want to raise the standard of the stories they share
Health & wellness writing: specialist long-form and commissioned pieces drawing on twenty years of expertise in this area
Content strategy: helping business owners and brands develop an editorial approach that is sustainable and distinctive.
If you have a project in mind, I’d welcome a chat about it.
GET IN TOUCH
COACHING
Before I joined the get noticed mastermind , I didn’t realise how important my authenticity as a brand in my business is. Maria has guided me on this journey on how to share content in a way which engages clients while fully embracing my individuality. Maria is very supportive and motivational and everything she shares she has lived through her own business. Although my business is relatively new , I feel like the course is definitely helping me to ‘get noticed’ and would highly recommend working with Maria . Disclaimer: do not join this mastermind group unless you want to do the work!
Hazel Basnet O Doherty – Blossom Healing