Freelance Copywriter Yorkshire: Why You Need One

Ah, Yorkshire!

If you aren’t from round these parts, you may know it - not for its Yorkshire copywriters - but only for its puds. The savoury kind, you understand. Or perhaps when you think of the county and its folks, you think of broad, ‘can-barely-understand-em’ accents.

Or maybe just tea. Yorkshire Tea. Piping hot and with a drop of milk (I like mine strong and sweet, if you’re asking). A sweetener will do if you’ve run out of sugar.

True, you probably won’t think of copywriters when you imagine the rolling green hills of this fine county (why on earth would you?!) - but alongside running water and working leccy, we have content writers here too - but why do you need a Yorkshire copywriter specifically?

Choose a Yorkshire Copywriter and You Have an Excuse for a Yorkshire Field Trip (If You Want)

I don’t expect you to make the journey to Yorkshire for a catch-up (after all, you’re the client and I’m the copywriter - I’ll happily head over your end) but if you want to, the option’s there.

Anyway, who doesn’t love the opportunity to get away from the office for the day on a kind of grown-up field trip?! So, if you fancy a coffee and a chinwag about your copy in person - and in Yorkshire - it’ll be well worth the trip.

Alongside running water and electricity, we have quaint little coastal resorts, top views from Huddersfield’s Castle Hill, tea on tap - and even a few homegrown celebs. Parkinson, anyone? Or Dickie Bird…remember him?! We also have a statue of a young Dai Bradley (Billy Caspar from Kes) in Barnsley, don’t ya know.

…About That Tea (You Can Enjoy a Proper Cup While Visiting Your Copywriter in Yorkshire

I shouldn’t really say this on a public forum, but since there’s no such thing as Lancashire tea (or is there?!), Yorkshire Tea will (more than) have to do.

Well, it does make a mean brew. Of course, you can buy Yorkshire tea up and down the country, but it’s like a cuppa on home soil as opposed to abroad; it always tastes better drank where it should be drank…don’t you think?! Yeah, I know tea’s from China, but just allow me, a Huddersfield copywriter who knows a good cuppa when she drinks one, to make my point. Ta.

You Can Learn a New Language. Well, Kind Of.

Did you know there’s actually a Yorkshire - English dictionary? Proof that learning how the all (they all) spek (speak) ‘ere (here) in Yorkshire is like learning a new language. So, you’ll pick up a bit of useful lingo at the least, or become a fluent Yorkshire man (or woman) at best. Brill. You can then go home and chat to your spouse or kids in riddles. What a hoot.

Luckily for you, I’m not a Yorkshire copywriter* - so you might be able to understand me (I jest, of course; Yorkshire accents aren’t that hard to fathom).

*Well, not as such, While I make a living as a freelance copywriter based here, I’m actually (whisper it) from that there Lancashire.

The best thing about being a copywriter, though? You can work wherever you fancy. Yep, anywhere. Your living room, your kitchen, even your garden. Oh, and definitely in Yorkshire - if you want. Or if you don’t. It’s up to you.

If you’re not from Yorkshire, don’t make distance a barrier; we can have a chat over the phone (or Zoom) and get to work getting to the nitty gritty of your brand.

Go on; let’s chat…

I'm Not a Total Grammar Nazi, But...

...as a full-time freelance copywriter, I do, it has to be said, appreciate the consideration that goes into a well-placed apostrophe, comma or - the mother of all punctuation marks: the semi colon. I appreciate the irony in the fact I used a colon there instead, mind.

This quote I once spotted online pretty much sums up the importance of a little care when it comes to grammar and punctuation:

Grammar: the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.

But while I've been writing copy for brands and businesses for 11 years now - five of them spent as a journalist on a north west newspaper - I still find myself carelessly making the odd mistake. There are, of course, a few punctuation dilemmas out there, after all:

Just where do you put the apostrophe in Goats Cheese?

It could be argued, you see, that the cheese belongs to one goat. Or a few goats.

And there are also a few things we were taught at school, which don't hold true.

'I' before 'E' except after 'C' doesn't work in all instances. Here's a few:

Weird

Vein

Feisty

What's my point? The truth is, we could all do with brushing up on our understanding of grammar and punctuation. And how it is - and should be - used.

So when the folks at User Design got in touch to ask if I'd like to review their latest book: 'Punctuation...?, I said 'hell yes!' (I love a good exclamation mark!). It dropped into my post box a few days later - cheers, User Design.

It really is a lovely book, with a really simple format and some pretty charming hand-drawn images.

Each page features a different punctuation mark or conundrum. Plus, the accompanying descriptions are simple enough in their language and tone that everyone from freelance copywriters like myself to the much less-annoying grammar stickers out there can get on board with the advice offered. Phew, that was a long sentence!

Here's a little nosey at the front cover...

And a sneak peek at one of my favourite pages inside: the one about semicolons.

Oh, I do love a ;

 

Whether you're someone like me who wants to brush up on their use of punctuation, or someone who wants to start afresh and finally get to grips with everything from a ':' to a ';', you'll love this book.

It's not too weighty, either. You could get through it in an hour and have some time left over to put some of the tips into practice too.

Want to get hold of a copy of the book? You can find out more about it here and you can buy it for less than a tenner (with FREE delivery, too!) over at Wordery. Thanks to Thomas Bohm at User Design for saving me the dosh, though. I'll be spending it on cake - it is one of my New Year's resolutions, after all.

Need a Huddersfield copywriter for a project or two? Get in touch.

Until next time, folks...