The Story Behind EC | TIW

If you're a long-time reader of this blog, or even a new follower, it's likely you've picked up on the fact that I am a private person, meaning that a public persona is not something that I strive to maintain.  To build a readership or cultivate a "brand" is not my goal (although my Instagram and Pinterest accounts sort of serve that purpose).  Instead, I've written here about subjects that matter to me, whether or not they coalesce with current social trends.  Specifically, I am more interested in the development, inspiration, and growth of ideas over time, the careful crafting of an ideological spark rather than the instant gratification of a broadly defined idea.  To me, the grist of ideas is not bound by trend, although it is certainly influenced by this societal undertow.

The story behind EC | TIW is simple, resulting from the spark of an unbounded idea.  This blog started shortly after I opened my shop back in 2010; the maintenance of shop and blog occurred simultaneously as I juggled the difficult task of, and learned how to, market my items while staying true to my goal of professionalism, non-pushy promotion, and yes, privacy.  This public-private split is something I still grapple with.

In 2013, I added the "TIW" acronym to my shop name and started my main site, but only after obtaining a hard-earned Master's degree.  My thesis, a literary, theoretically driven five-chapter work, took over three years to write--revision after revision, reworked chapter after chapter.  I've likened this academic process to "pulling teeth," which I've documented in this blog.  Although a difficult process, the experience gave me the tools to draft a quality written work; added palpable substance to the existing writer in me.  Humbled me when I felt I had exhausted all possibilities.

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My writing explores the depth right below the surface, the purposeful meaning behind a subject, without resorting to overly romanticized language or cliches (unless the client prefers this).  Let's face it: anyone can write using flowery language, but it takes a hard-scrabble writer to introduce, build on, and deliver a clearly organized idea while being mindful of the entire work's aim.

The deeper current behind "TIW": Over the past few years, I became increasingly concerned over the proliferation of online writing, since this writing tends to lack quality and a clear voice (amid spelling, punctuation, and grammatical blunders).  I know that I am not alone in this observation.  So you can imagine how seeing punctuation and spelling errors, gaps in logic and organization, and other English-language mistakes online, and in print, endlessly frustrate me.  If we can speak correct English, then we can certainly take the time to write it--or at least have a writer/editor help out in this regard.  With my writing and editing services, I will work on your writing from the bottom up--depending on your goals--to edit, clarify, and polish your words without hype, gimmicks, and cliches.

It is important to state that not all writers are equal in terms of the quality of their craft.  This quality-versus-quantity divide is most observable in pricing and marketing strategy.  For my writing services, I strongly abide by quality rather than by quantity, which is reflected in my pricing.  For instance, I recently edited a 1.5-page single-spaced eulogy that took me four hours to complete, which included fine tuning the cadences of speech to give the words a poetic, memorial-worthy feel.  This type of editing is not cheap, but the heirloom-quality writing will last a lifetime.  When a writer/editor emphasizes value and precision in their work, the physical acts of editing and writing are not as easy or simple as they seem: the process is much like pulling teeth.  By hand and without anesthesia.  However, in my experience, one never arrives at the finish line without first overcoming struggle.  This journey may take days or weeks to complete, but is worth it--good solid writing in itself is worth it.

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In the role of writer/editor, I add readability and value to your writing by polishing, tightening up, and organizing your words with quality tools gained from experience.  I will delete sentences, rearrange them, and clarify their intended meaning to the best of my ability while working within your price range.  With purpose and the utmost care, I simply (via an all-but-simple process) edit and write.  This is my ongoing journey into the public realm--and I do not take it lightly.

I have previously written about the writing process here and here.