Freelance journalist and teacher
Welcome to my little slice of the internet!
As a professional writer, I know the power of words and their impact. Together, we can create compelling narratives that resonate with your audience and enhance your effectiveness.
I’m Dara Colwell. I work as a journalist, editor, consultant, and teach professional writing at the University of Groningen.
SERVICES
For two decades, I have been helping people tell stories, making what’s important to them interesting to their audience. We all have knowledge, ideas, and stories worth sharing, and my job as a writer is to make your words valued by readers.
As a wordsmith, I am flexible, confident, creative and deep—I have written about almost everything, always curious to learn more. My talent is finding unique angles, shaping dull, boring text into tightly-written copy that’s fun to read while remaining appropriate for your audience.
My services:
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Writing magazine articles and profiles
I have written for a wide range of publications (arts & entertainment, news, travel, tech industry); I am a people person with the gift for observation and highlighting what’s human.
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Copywriting, editing and proofreading work, plus cleaning up translated text (for non-native English speakers)
I make sure your writing is accurate, intelligent, well-structured, and strikes the right tone with your audience.
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Teaching professional writing skills
If you want to learn how to write persuasively, taking your audience into consideration, I can help (and I love doing it!)
(new or based on what's there)
JOURNALISM
I learned to be curious and observant early in life and I have put these talents to good use by seeing what others don’t, be that details or perspectives. Understanding issues and people in depth is what drives me professionally and in life, and my goal in writing (whatever form it takes) is to make people think.
As a journalist, I enjoy writing about:
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The environment because it’s my first love and nature is my church.
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Relationships because they are moving and dramatic; everyone has a unique perspective and story to tell.
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Culture because the world is incredibly diverse, like what's “normal?!"
Practicing a simple lifestyle makes people happier while using fewer resources.
"To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man"
Aristotle
TEACHING
Because writing helps us figure out what we think, the art of writing involves actively reworking and finessing elements until it the whole thing glides together as smoothly as pistachio-infused gelato.
I teach students studying Media Studies at the University of Groningen how to approach professional writing. They learn that writing well isn’t simply a matter of fixing mistakes. It’s about daring to be creative and persevere, as good writing is far too complex to get it right in your first draft.
I also teach writing for professionals who want to write persuasively and professionally. For those with a creative bent, I teach journalistic skills such as how to deepen, strengthen and include their observations in writing.
ESL/Business English:
I give customised lessons to business professionals who want to learn how to communicate more effectively in English, particularly when it's their second language. Workshops cover grammar, standard business expressions and vocabulary, intercultural awareness, writing and presentations.
I have worked with a wide range of customers in education, research, finance, government and journalism. I also wrote blogs about learning English, such as Dutchisms and Adverbs (for Language Partners.)
ABOUT ME
I grew up in Los Angeles, spent my twenties studying and working in the UK, and later graduated from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. I cut my writing teeth as an investigative reporter at Metro San Jose, where I wrote about the environment, politics, and entertainment. I also wrote about fashion and the lack of it in Silicon Valley, at the time a burgeoning hub for badly-dressed entrepreneurs.
I eventually moved to Brooklyn, where I worked as a freelance writer. In Brooklyn, I enjoyed walking along the same streets my grandfather had as a young man (I even borrowed his shoes), and discovering New York City. It was my greatest teacher in learning how to tackle writing, meet diversity head on and approach life. There, I wrote reviews for books, software, trailed wannabe shamans, and got personal about relationships.
I later moved to Amsterdam and fell in love with all the stereotypical things Americans do here: cycling, affordable healthcare, and its Rembrandtesque skies. I am thrilled to live in a city where my ceiling rafters are older than the US Constitution, and which has welcomed diversity for centuries. I now write about things like corporate wellness, and change management.
