Writing from the readers’ perspective is what good feature writing is all about. Understanding those readers - whether they’re electrical engineers, first-time homeowners or gardeners in search of the elusive square tomato - and asking the questions they want answered is a skill I’ve learned over the last two decades. Read through the samples here and I think you’ll find a common theme in clear writing that explains without condescending. Then give me a call to talk about the questions your readers want answered.
Feature Writing
From Chaos to Cocoon
There are two kinds of bedrooms in this world – the restful and serene ideal photographed by home-decorating magazines and the real-world variety the rest of us return to every night. One of the biggest differences between the two, aside from their budgets, is the absence of distracting clutter in professionally designed and photographed spaces. […]
What Lies Beneath
Raised access flooring is becoming a more common feature in today’s commercial and institutional buildings. Long preferred in computer-intensive locations, access flooring is now being manufactured in finishes that fit into more upscale settings as well. For electrical contractors willing to take the time to work through some of the coordination issues required, access-floor installation […]
Sustainable Design Helping To Sustain the Building Industry
One of the bright spots in the complicated economy of today’s construction market is the rapidly increasing interest in sustainable design. Today’s clients are demanding better-performing buildings, and their designers are, in turn, driving manufacturers to increase their products’ “green” quotient. (This article originally ran in the March issue of Architectural Products magazine.)
Sustainable Design Helping […]
The Power of a Pillow
If you’ve spent any time shopping for pillows lately, you know that choosing just one from the variety of options stocking today’s store shelves could be enough to keep you up at night. Today’s pillows mean business – whether you’re a snorer, a side sleeper, pregnant or in need of aromatherapy, the pillow aisle holds […]
From Monasteries to McMansions
Scagliola stone may be a manmade faux stone, but its durability and quality blend with its Old-World charm to deliver artistry fit for a castle. (pdf)
Scagliola: From Monasteries to McMansions
Raising Cane
From attic relic to hot new trend, cane has re-emerged as one of today’s hottest interior design motifs. In furniture, fabrics and even ceramic tile, cane and cane-inspired patterns are sprouting up in showrooms and shops in a range of price points. Combining up-tothe-minute “green” credibility with timeless geometric appeal, cane won’t be heading back […]
Tips From the Top
If the idea of holiday decorating fills you with dread, try putting yourself in Brett Beaudette’s boots. As head visual designer for the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., he’s faced with hanging enough lights, wreaths and ornaments to make the 4.2-million-square-foot facility feel warm and festive. Despite the impressive statistics, however, Beaudette faces
many of […]
LEEDing By the Hand
This article for Electrical Contractor magazine’s October 2007 issue looks at growing interest in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, and the impact these standards are having on the work of commercial electrical contractors.
LEEDing By the Hand
Party On: The Shameless Host’s Guide To Entertaining
Too shy for shortcuts? They’re not: Sheila Lukins, of “Silver Palate Cookbook” fame, outsources her baked goods and side dishes. Event planner Preston Bailey, king of dramatic staging, sticks with one color and keeps decorations focused. (pdf)
The Shameless Host’s Guide To Entertaining
Out in the Boondocks
Generating electricity using wind, solar and geothermal technologies produces none of the greenhouse gases fossil fuel-based plants create. but even clean electricity requires transmission lines, and the remote locations of many renewable resources is forcing some tough conversations regarding potential tradeoffs involved in bringing renewable energy to market.
Published in Electrical Contractor magazine, November 2007.
Out in […]