I at first thought to post the text of my resume here...but having served in a hiring capacity before, I instead offer you the kind of "resume" I think potential clients and employers really want to see: For more than 20 years -- closer to 30, if one counts all the papers I was paid to edit and proof in high school and college! --  I've been providing writing, editing and proofreading services to a variety of clients large and small, locally and nationally. I first began dabbling in web design sometime around 1997, and by 2000 began offering my services professionally. My love for writing (and my disdain for error) arguably began with the nuns at St. Margaret's Elementary School, who ingrained it in me just as surely as the raised numbers on their proverbial rulers. Grammatical errors, misspellings, misuses and other miscarriages of style and propriety Were Not Tolerated. There, I learned that I could write my way out of anything if I did it properly. I went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English/Communications at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY. From there, I worked in a variety of positions, all of which exposed me to a broad swath of writing and editing styles, standards and purposes:

 

• As research assistant to Dr. Murray Miron, psycholinguistics professor at Syracuse University, I learned that the words we use give away our backgrounds and motivations -- from religion and culture to education and family structure. He used this information to create psychological profiles of accused criminals, all based on their written communication. The man was brilliant, and I was privileged to work for him. But when I was 1) asked to transcribe the taped records of the Jonestown mass suicide and 2) followed to the airport when delivering a briefcase full of testimony against God-knows-who, I decided to move on and explore other avenues.
• As proofreader and eventually senior copywriter at Sage Marcom (a business-to-business ad agency since absorbed by Eric Mower & Associates), I learned that the success of promotional writing rests on how it communicates the benefits of the given product or service. I learned more than I wanted to know about HVAC, steel manufacturing, power transmission and other industries. And I learned that hard work and eagerness to learn really do count. I left only because I needed more balance between work and personal life.
• As a technical editor for Syracuse Research, I edited very interesting reports for the US EPA and ATSDR on chemical hazards in our environment. I learned and applied the particular style standards for the various agencies and a great deal about how research is conducted and evaluated. I loved this job and these people so much that it never seemed like work, and I enjoyed believing that my work was benefitting The Greater Good, somewhere, somehow. I left only because a greater good came into my life: my children.

Since then, I've been writing, editing and designing websites from my home office in central New York state. For a few years, I was privileged to be half of Yellow Dog Web Design with a good and brilliant friend, Lisa Jensen. But when I took on a gig as editor in chief of two nationally published print magazines -- LowCarb Energy and Diet & Fitness -- I could no longer give our web design clients the service they deserved. Lisa had gotten very busy with database work for a college, so YDWD was shelved. When the demand for information on all things low carb waned, I returned to my usual freelance work, including web design. I've written ads, brochures, white papers, radio spots, magazine articles (both online and print), web copy, catalogs, manuals and whatever else I'm forgetting. I've edited all the same, plus educational materials, books, resumes, packaging verbage and lots more. I've designed websites for an interesting variety of clients, including two vacation rental agencies, a holistic therapist, a fundraising expert, a research guru, a consumer advocate, two homebuilders, a realtor...the list goes on. I've written copy for a major advertising agency's website and a state college. Everything that's come before has become part of my expertise and my approach, and I feel uniquely blessed by it all.

 

Seven random things about me and the way I work:

1. I do best with input given via email, mail, instant messaging or other stuff I can see. It provides a tangible record of exchanged information to which my clients and I can both refer back. Plus, I'm a visual learner: If I merely hear it, it doesn't sink in as well -- hence my intense dislike for the phone.
2. I favor simplicity and clarity -- in web design, in writing, in my life.
3. I envision the act of writing like this: The client provides me the main ingredients. I have drawers filled with tools, and shelves full of spices, extracts and flavorings. All I have to do is very methodically and deliberately add those ingredients, use my tools to mix and shape, add dashes of flavor, and tinker til it tastes just right. It's an act of love. And it's a challenge, because any given recipe can always, always be made better.
4. I don't mind constructive criticism one bit. After all, it's the client's nickel. He or she should get what is needed and requested. And I always stand to learn something.
5. I am anything but pretentious. I am just who I am, professionally and personally. I try my utmost in both realms. For that reason, having a "company name" (Sands Communications) always feels a little off to me. That's why vanessa-sands.com also points to this site.
6. I am always learning something new. For instance, this site is a result of my attempts at using Wordpress as a content management system (CMS) and complete site builder. In the future, I'd like to learn how to design database-based sites, glassblowing, sailing and...well, we'd be here all day.
7. I am a closet artist wannabe (you'll find links to sketches and paintings I've done in my blog's Artsy Fartsy category). My microliter of talent, however, is nothing compared to my sister's gallons (go see what I mean). I also enjoy making jewelry, kayaking, boating and beaching. I enjoy the company of many pets. But by far, the most important aspect of my personal life is my large-ish family.

If you'd like the more formal rendition of all this, as well as a list of clients I've served, just ask.