Did you play the telephone game when you were a kid?

That’s how I view my role as a copywriter. Always focused on the end-user, my job is to craft your message to be thoughtful and concise without losing meaning or getting muddled, as often happens in the game of telephone.

The best professional compliment I ever received was at the end of my first day working alongside two small business owners at a farmer’s market. “Wow,” they said. “You just picked up our story and ran with it. It’s like you’ve been working with us all along!”

I take pride in being able to quickly and easily pick up and work with a brand’s existing style and voice while also carefully, subtly elevating and enhancing the story over time. My style is friendly, conversational and eloquent.

I write just enough to tell the story while remaining true to a piece’s purpose and avoiding semantically null sentences.

I’ve been a writer and a storyteller since childhood. Before I could read, I used my picture books as visual guides to tell stories to whomever would listen. Just like some folks are born with an innate ability to sing, or paint, or draw, or play instruments, I was born to write. I’ve honed my craft over the years working in a variety of industries and mediums.

I believe every piece I write has a purpose and should serve it well. I know the rules and I’m comfortable breaking them when necessary. I always consider the bigger picture to ensure each piece works together within the larger framework—whether that be a brand story, satisfying a creative brief, or adhering to a style guide.

I could tell you that I’m a lot of buzzwords—strategic, passionate, adept—and that I know a lot of buzzword-y things, like how to write UX microcopy or alt text, or AP or Chicago Manual of Style, or SEO and Google Analytics.

But here’s what I think is more interesting: When I was in the fourth grade, I gave a speech about what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was a class project that grew into a contest that ended with me filming my speech with a small group of contest “winners” in our high school’s AV department to be broadcast on local TV. I spoke about wanting to be a writer. While my career has taken me on far more adventurous and winding paths than I imagined at 10 years old, I still got to be what I wanted to be when I grew up. And I am damn good at it.

Writing samples are available upon request. Please contact me to request my portfolio or view specific content examples.

My skill for storytelling is also visual. My background in and hands-on experience with art and photography helps me to direct design and craft copy that speaks to audiences and tells stories. If you want to see my photo work, visit my Instagram @saraellenwalters >