Tag: writing skills

The Written Word: Engaged(ing) rather than “to-be-married”

January 6, 2026
cat looking at fish

Great writing is immediately recognizable. Well-written content is like the “no explanation needed” photo shown above – the audience is immediately drawn in.

I – like any other writer – am happy to acknowledge writers who come up with great eye-catching phrases to draw in an audience:

My cat Snoopy (shown above) rightfully earned his full name: Snoopy Grumpy Monkey Monster. When I would hold him, he would purr as I would sing his own personal jingle to him: “Snoopy Grumpy Monkey Monster, Monster Boy. Snoopy is one Monster Boy.” He knew that this was his own personal song. Humans smile at the rhymed humor.

When people go looking for a writing consultant (such as myself), they may or may not have the words to articulate what they’d like to receive for a final product, though they’ll “know it” if they receive good written content. Quality writing has an artful blend of the following:

  • A mix of great phraseology (such as that shown above)
  • An ability to explain ideas cogently on paper (i.e. Clarity from “The 4 C’s” of journalism combined with an ability to bring forth “interesting readability” (engaging, insightful)
  • Good writing mechanics – the ability to be concise, etc.
  • An understanding of how much descriptive color and explanatory context to bring to the page to make ideas relevant to the reader (i.e., the reader would take less interest in the phrase “Snoopy Grumpy Monkey Monster” without having first seen a photo of a mischievous, good-looking cat “in action” to associate with the entertaining nick name)……

Burkhardt Writing Services would like to hear from you about your wordsmith needs. We just might be the writing consultant you are seeking.

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Kim Burkhardt provides writing services – including ghostwriting, “corporate storytelling,” articles, how-to manuals, and editing – at Burkhardt Writing Services. Contact us about your wordsmithing and storytelling needs.

Writer reflection: could you write this photo?

December 20, 2025
Seattle skyline at night
Seattle Skyline

Seattle has joined the ranks of high-traffic-congestion cities.

When I need to drive anywhere, I look for opportunities to go at times when traffic is likely to be less congested. Last fall, for example, I was commuting to a job that had some flexibility in terms of start times. So, I would leave home at about 6:45 am.

Leaving home at 6:45 am shares something in common with being a writer. Opportunities.

Nearly every situation has some kind of opportunity embedded within it. It’s up to us to find it.

In the case of an early morning commute – before daylight – I spotted the opportunity to take a night-time photo of the Seattle skyline – complete with the iconic Space Needle and Lake Union. People like this photo.

As writers, our writing is likewise well received when we bring appreciable observations to the written page. It is up to us to make insightful observations and find interesting ways to bring them to print.

I was able to bring viewers the photo above by moving beyond the snap-and-shoot mechanics of photography. I had learned what constitutes a good photo – identifying a visually interesting scene and learning how to frame it well with a camera’s lens. I did back flips – of sorts – to find a place to safely pull over to take this photo.

Writing – like photography – “comes to light” when we move beyond basic writing mechanics: “I saw downtown Seattle at night. You would find the scene beautiful if you saw it.” Rather, “Downtown Seattle’s skyline quite literally lights up at night. Anyone who finds themself driving southbound on I-5 at night takes in the collective beauty of hilltop business district towers and shoreline buildings left alight to ward off would-be intruders. Those who have read Katherine Kurtz’s novel St. Patrick’s Gargoyle can – when seeing downtown Seattle’s night time skyline – imagine a monthly gargoyle conclave in Seattle to protect the city equivalent to Dublin’s gargoyle conclaves. Quite striking.” (A personal aside that I would happily work in to a longer article with an opportunity for individual reflection: Dublin is located in the Emerald Isle, while Seattle is the Emerald City…. I had a memorable flight in 2018 in which I watched the sun rise in Dublin and set in Seattle….).

Being a writer is clearly more than mechanically stringing together words. Writing involves observation about the world around us, an understanding of what people want or need to think about, and an ability to bring all of that to the page in readable language. For each type of written publication, there are also genre-specific writing considerations – creativity is needed when writing novels, an ability to be factual and insightful is needed for business publications, an ability to be factually descriptive is necessary when writing how-to manuals, etc.

Kim Burkhardt provides writing services – including ghostwriting, “corporate storytelling,” articles, how-to manuals, and editing – at Burkhardt Writing Services. Contact us about your wordsmithing and storytelling needs.