Elizabeth Ann Roy
Owner & Content Writer
For those in the textile, sewing, and craft industries who need web content writing or copywriting, I offer a unique blend of skills. I am both an experienced content writer, an experienced gardener, and an expert sewer and crafter with sales and management experience on the retail side of the fabric and crafts industries
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Writing and Content Writing Experience
My first publication, and my first paid publication, came at the same time, in 1989, with a sale to Careers, a magazine of educational, vocational, and lifestyle advice for high school juniors and seniors. That magazine, like the Scholastic magazines, circulated nationally throughout school systems in the United States. The article, which suggests a system for peacefully dividing household chores among roommates, was featured in the January/February, 1990, issue as part of a pull-out section of advice for college-bound high school juniors and seniors. It was inspired by a younger cousin's unhappy experience with a friend when they decided to be roommates. |
Elizabeth Ann Roy, owner and content writer of Home Arts Content and Copywriting
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By 1995, I was serving as a staff writer for The Historian, a regional print magazine that covered the history of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
I joined Textbroker.com and Elance.com, now known as Upwork.com, in March, 2009. I was a four-star writer on Textbroker, and I passed an Associated Press (AP) style proofreading test that was required for promotion to five-star status. On Upwork, a test of my skills and knowledge places me among the top 10 percent of Upwork's online SEO blog and article writers.
I belonged to over 100 teams on Textbroker.com, many of them exclusive, invitation-only teams managed by clients or by Textbroker on behalf of clients
Between Textbroker and Upwork, I have 15 years of experience writing search engine optimized (SEO) website content, articles, blog posts, white papers, company descriptions and histories, DIY instructions, product descriptions, product buying guides, product comparisons, press releases, and more.
I have a B.A. in psychology from Ohio State University, and in 2005, I returned to Ohio State to study strategic communication, which includes advertising, marketing, promotions, and public relations. I completed courses in advertising, customer relationship marketing (CRM), creative message design, brand promotion, and persuasive communication techniques before my studies were interrupted by the consecutive illnesses of two family members.
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Crafting and Retail Background
My mother introduced my sister and me to sewing and crafts early. She taught us to sew, do stamped embroidery, and crochet. We moved on from there.
I learned how to knit by hand and on a knitting machine; do counted thread embroidery, crewel embroidery, and cross stitch; tat, a form of lace making; macramé; and do needlepoint, including plastic canvas needlepoint and petit point. I also have done some candle making and resin casting, and I have worked with polymer clay.
I taught tatting, knitting, and needlepoint for Leewards Craft Bazaar.
In high school, I took four years of vocational home economics along with college preparatory courses, and I studied interior decorating before starting college.
Through this training, I learned about the characteristics of various textiles and choosing the appropriate fabrics for various sewing projects, both for sewing clothing and for home sewing projects. I also learned about the characteristics of carpet, drapery, and upholstery fabrics and the various types of flooring.
At work, because of my training in interior decorating, I usually was the one who helped customers choose drapery and upholstery fabrics.
As a sales associate, class instructor, craft department manager, and assistant manager for Fabric World, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, So-Fro Fabrics, Leewards Craft Bazaar, and Hancock Fabrics, I continually updated my knowledge of textiles, yarn, crochet cotton, tatting thread, and embroidery floss. I also kept current with trends in the textile, sewing, and craft industries as well as in the related industries of fashion and interior design.
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Writing Niches
Given my background, I made sewing, crafts, interior decorating, and buying guides for cookware and kitchen appliances my content writing niche on Textbroker.
From there, I've ventured into other home-related areas such as gardening, landscaping, and hardscaping. I belonged to a team that writes blog posts for roofing and siding companies, and I have also written about the care and maintenance of HVAC systems, plumbing issues, and DIY home repair and home remodeling including instructions on how to install tube lighting and garage doors (and why the latter is better left to an expert).
Maybe handiwork and mechanical projects are in my genes. One of my grandfathers and one of my uncles had woodworking shops. One cousin worked with his father to build a car from a kit, and my father, who worked for AT&T as an outdoor and, later, a central office telephone installer and repairman, also knew how to do electrical wiring.
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I joined Textbroker.com and Elance.com, now known as Upwork.com, in March, 2009. I was a four-star writer on Textbroker, and I passed an Associated Press (AP) style proofreading test that was required for promotion to five-star status. On Upwork, a test of my skills and knowledge places me among the top 10 percent of Upwork's online SEO blog and article writers.
I belonged to over 100 teams on Textbroker.com, many of them exclusive, invitation-only teams managed by clients or by Textbroker on behalf of clients
Between Textbroker and Upwork, I have 15 years of experience writing search engine optimized (SEO) website content, articles, blog posts, white papers, company descriptions and histories, DIY instructions, product descriptions, product buying guides, product comparisons, press releases, and more.
I have a B.A. in psychology from Ohio State University, and in 2005, I returned to Ohio State to study strategic communication, which includes advertising, marketing, promotions, and public relations. I completed courses in advertising, customer relationship marketing (CRM), creative message design, brand promotion, and persuasive communication techniques before my studies were interrupted by the consecutive illnesses of two family members.
Back to Top
Crafting and Retail Background
My mother introduced my sister and me to sewing and crafts early. She taught us to sew, do stamped embroidery, and crochet. We moved on from there.
I learned how to knit by hand and on a knitting machine; do counted thread embroidery, crewel embroidery, and cross stitch; tat, a form of lace making; macramé; and do needlepoint, including plastic canvas needlepoint and petit point. I also have done some candle making and resin casting, and I have worked with polymer clay.
I taught tatting, knitting, and needlepoint for Leewards Craft Bazaar.
In high school, I took four years of vocational home economics along with college preparatory courses, and I studied interior decorating before starting college.
Through this training, I learned about the characteristics of various textiles and choosing the appropriate fabrics for various sewing projects, both for sewing clothing and for home sewing projects. I also learned about the characteristics of carpet, drapery, and upholstery fabrics and the various types of flooring.
At work, because of my training in interior decorating, I usually was the one who helped customers choose drapery and upholstery fabrics.
As a sales associate, class instructor, craft department manager, and assistant manager for Fabric World, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, So-Fro Fabrics, Leewards Craft Bazaar, and Hancock Fabrics, I continually updated my knowledge of textiles, yarn, crochet cotton, tatting thread, and embroidery floss. I also kept current with trends in the textile, sewing, and craft industries as well as in the related industries of fashion and interior design.
Back to Top
Writing Niches
Given my background, I made sewing, crafts, interior decorating, and buying guides for cookware and kitchen appliances my content writing niche on Textbroker.
From there, I've ventured into other home-related areas such as gardening, landscaping, and hardscaping. I belonged to a team that writes blog posts for roofing and siding companies, and I have also written about the care and maintenance of HVAC systems, plumbing issues, and DIY home repair and home remodeling including instructions on how to install tube lighting and garage doors (and why the latter is better left to an expert).
Maybe handiwork and mechanical projects are in my genes. One of my grandfathers and one of my uncles had woodworking shops. One cousin worked with his father to build a car from a kit, and my father, who worked for AT&T as an outdoor and, later, a central office telephone installer and repairman, also knew how to do electrical wiring.
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Asking questions to establish an accurate and thorough understanding of your goals and your customers before beginning work saves time and frustration later by reducing and possibly even eliminating the need for revisions. Once we agree that I understand, in every detail, what you seek to accomplish, I will use my knowledge and experience to help you achieve your goal.
I will suggest alternatives, if I think that they will better achieve your goal, and don't be surprised if I tell you that you would be better off with a writer with experience in a different area. I have done that for other clients.
As I see it, my business reputation depends on completing your project successfully.
To me, establishing and maintaining a reputation for reliability, trustworthiness, and high quality work is more valuable than the money I would earn from accepting a project that is outside of my skill set.
If I decide to venture into a different area of copywriting, it's up to me to seek the necessary training to develop my skills in that new area. In my opinion, it's not up to clients to pay for on-the-job training. I have given my past employers my full attention and my best work. I do the same for clients. If that is the type of copywriter you would like to have as a partner in your business, contact me, and let's discuss your business and your next content or copywriting project.
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In My Life
I live in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. For the six years prior to her death in June, 2016, my sister and I were full-time caregivers for our mother. We were happy to be able to be there for her when she needed us, and we are happy that she didn't have to go to a nursing home. Some people don't have the option that my sister and I did.
While we were caring for our mother, sites like Textbroker, Upwork, and Zazzle.com allowed my sister and me to add to the household income without having to leave our mother alone. After her death, though, we went through an extended period of financial struggle as well as going through the process of deciding what was next in our lives, as many former caregivers do.
I discovered American Writers & Artists, Inc. (AWAI) in 2015. I was inspired by their newsletters and their Smart Start Copywriting Program to combine my background in writing with my background and interest in what I think Martha Stewart once described as the "home arts". Caring for our mother and then ensuring that we had food and shelter had to come first for my sister and me. In 2020, we were finally reaching a more financially secure place, and we all lived through what happened next. By 2021, though, I was able to go back to working to create the niche writing business I first described in a business plan in 2009. Here's to the future and to seeing what it may hold for my sister and me, for my business, and for you, your family, and your business.
If I'm the sort of copywriter who can help you with your business, contact me and let's get started on your next content or copywriting project.
Back to Top
I will suggest alternatives, if I think that they will better achieve your goal, and don't be surprised if I tell you that you would be better off with a writer with experience in a different area. I have done that for other clients.
As I see it, my business reputation depends on completing your project successfully.
To me, establishing and maintaining a reputation for reliability, trustworthiness, and high quality work is more valuable than the money I would earn from accepting a project that is outside of my skill set.
If I decide to venture into a different area of copywriting, it's up to me to seek the necessary training to develop my skills in that new area. In my opinion, it's not up to clients to pay for on-the-job training. I have given my past employers my full attention and my best work. I do the same for clients. If that is the type of copywriter you would like to have as a partner in your business, contact me, and let's discuss your business and your next content or copywriting project.
Back to Top
In My Life
I live in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. For the six years prior to her death in June, 2016, my sister and I were full-time caregivers for our mother. We were happy to be able to be there for her when she needed us, and we are happy that she didn't have to go to a nursing home. Some people don't have the option that my sister and I did.
While we were caring for our mother, sites like Textbroker, Upwork, and Zazzle.com allowed my sister and me to add to the household income without having to leave our mother alone. After her death, though, we went through an extended period of financial struggle as well as going through the process of deciding what was next in our lives, as many former caregivers do.
I discovered American Writers & Artists, Inc. (AWAI) in 2015. I was inspired by their newsletters and their Smart Start Copywriting Program to combine my background in writing with my background and interest in what I think Martha Stewart once described as the "home arts". Caring for our mother and then ensuring that we had food and shelter had to come first for my sister and me. In 2020, we were finally reaching a more financially secure place, and we all lived through what happened next. By 2021, though, I was able to go back to working to create the niche writing business I first described in a business plan in 2009. Here's to the future and to seeing what it may hold for my sister and me, for my business, and for you, your family, and your business.
If I'm the sort of copywriter who can help you with your business, contact me and let's get started on your next content or copywriting project.
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