My favorite musician, Duke Ellington, once described his music as "beyond category."

At a much more modest level, I like to think of my own writing the same way: It's all storytelling, and that's more important than the form it takes. It's really a question of people bringing me problems and me coming up with the solution they wish they'd thought of themselves.

You might have the perfect marketing strategy but dull, jargon-filled materials. Or maybe you just need a different eye to review what you already have. With more than three decades of experience on three major newspapers, I can probably find a way to say it more clearly, concisely and colorfully.

I will look at your current materials but I'll urge you not to be bound by them. Most of the time I'd prefer to cook from scratch, starting with an interview in which I try to find out what you real story is, what makes you different. It's not just a question of defining your audience but more of finding out what the best way is for you to appeal to them.

If you'd like editing on your current materials, I can help you get results at a reasonable cost by choosing what to include and what to leave out. That way, the recipients won't reach for the wastebasket or the delete key.

Here are some areas in which I work:

• Ghostwriting Services and Self-Published Books
• Newsletter and brochure writing
• Web Sites: Strategy and Web Content Writing
• Writing for Print
• Newspaper and Magazine Journalism

I have also worked with small companies and entrepreneurs to develop names and taglines and help them focus on what's different about them.