Hi! I’m Sandra. By day, I’m a plain English advocate. I run my content strategy and SEO copywriting business from the foothills of the Macedon Ranges north of Melbourne. After hours, I’m writing an adventure series targeting middle grade students and a cozy mystery series.
The Smarter Writer started as my bumbling voyage into figuring out how our creative brains work.
I’m not the best writer around. But there are plenty of tools, tricks and techniques I use to help me become a smarter and more productive writer.
The Smarter Writer is where I share what I learn.
Latest on the blog
When you want to say something but it’s already been said before
You know your stuff. People often ask for your advice. You’re ready to show the world your expertise and authority on a subject, and build trust—the ‘EAT’ factor. But you’re worried that what you want to say has already been said before. By someone else. Better. But here’s the thing,…
The sad case of the misunderstood apostrophe
The apostrophe is an often misunderstood and overlooked critter. Yet for such a small mark, it has a big meaning. It tells us so much in this 1 small signal.
Stabbing zombies with pitchforks and culling -ing words
Check your content for the kinds of -ing words you can cull from your writing to make it stronger.
Framing language in a positive way
People respond better to positive statements. When writing instructions or giving advice, try to frame it in a positive way.
7 tips for writing engaging content to connect with your readers
What is engaging content? Engaging content satisfies a reader’s goal in a delightful way. Engaging content lures the reader through the promise of delivering what they want or need to know, or by making them feel what they want or expect to feel. For example, a reader’s goal could be:…
My digital adventures
Stay up-to-date with all my digital adventures as I document life as a remote content strategist and copywriter.
Happiness: is it just a memory?
Is happiness something we can only remember? Or can we truly live it in the moment?
The price of giving up
I decided to sell my suite of niche websites. To kick start the process, I sold the first one. Here’s the whys and hows of how I did it.
Coming full circle
Recently (like this month recently) I was struggling with which direction to take in my online adventures. I felt on the verge of giving up my niche sites. This week…
Am I at the tipping point?
I’m wondering if I should ditch my slow performing niche websites or ramp them up?
