Interview with Wendy Meyeroff: Plain Language Writing

We’re continuing our series that focuses on different types of writing that can be done within the larger medical and science writing umbrella. This interview is with Wendy Meyeroff, whose specialty is plain language writing.

Wendy Meyeroff is a health communications provider now based in the Baltimore-DC area. She’s served clients across the U.S., Canada, and beyond for 20-plus years. She’s collaborated with folks at Merck, the NIH, Sears, CBS, and Johns Hopkins on what’s known as B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer - which includes patient education) for print and broadcast materials. She wrote a book on the BASICS of web content and design, “Web 1.0.” It’s distributed by the Editorial Freelancers Association via Lulu.com.You can find out more about Wendy and the services she provides at https://www.wmmedcomm.com/.

Key Takeaways:

• 1:38 – How Wendy got started in plain language

• 4:45 – Types of deliverables that can be included in plain language pieces

  • Resource: Center for Plain Language

• 9:10 – Thoughts on being a generalist vs a specialist

• 12:00 – How working with clients is like dating and relationships

  • Resource: Editorial Freelancers Association

• 15:53 – How Wendy finds clients and ongoing work

• 19:39 – Getting over the fear of cold calling and marketing

• 26:52 – How pay is typically structured for plan language writing and what to do if you don’t know how to quote a project

• 32:36 – The importance of having a small network of fellow writers to reach out to

• 36:45 – Characteristics suitable for those wanting to do plain language

• 43:58 – Potential pitfalls in plain language writing

• 47:10 – One piece of advice from Wendy