An award-winning journalist based in Singapore, my focus is writing news and opinion articles and providing editorial services to companies, non-profits, and individuals. In the US, I worked as a reporter, an editorial page editor, and a State House bureau chief for major dailies and as a communications director in the not-for-profit sector. I was editor-in-chief of a street newspaper where I mentored young writers, sharpened the paper’s point of view, and increased circulation. Having taught college journalism, I have a passion for bringing out the writer in people. My work has been published by Al Jazeera English, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, the Singaporean newspapers Straits Times and Today, Nikkei Asian Review, Japan Today, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan Journal, the IMMORAMA magazine in Geneva, the Glasgow-based International Network of Street Papers, the Boston Globe, the Boston Globe Magazine, the New York Daily News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Asbury Park Press, and the Trenton Times. My career in writing and editing spans three decades.
Book contributor, Influential Brands – A Documentary Of Their Heroic Rise (2014); Living in Singapore Thirteenth Edition Reference Guide (2014).
Writing coach, editor, and proofreader
The best writing looks easy. It reads effortlessly and seems like it appeared out of nowhere, well-crafted and fully formed, beautifully worded and ready for publication.
But appearances can deceive – and the best writers are the first to admit it.
Good writing needs a plan, the same way a blueprint comes before the construction of a building. The building blocks include structure, flow, and tone. Writing is a process of conceiving, reporting, designing, and telling stories. It takes work, it doesn’t just happen.
The best writers work to find their own voice. They work on finding the right “frame” or context to tell their story, the right “hook” or intro to grab their readers. They follow a narrative structure, whether it is the “inverted pyramid” of traditional newspaper journalism or any other design plan. And they don’t peter out at the end, but rather, they end with a “kicker” – something snappy, conclusive or profound that leaves the reader with the desired emotion, idea, or point.
Turning a blur of thoughts in the head into coherent writing with a beginning, a middle, and an end takes time, patience, and revision. And a good editor.
As a writing coach, editor and proofreader, I can help with:
Academic writing. Analytical, thesis and research papers. Case studies. College admission essays. Expository writing. Writing outlines and improving drafts. Job application cover letters. CVs. Personal websites.
Business writing. Press releases and media alerts. Bylined op-eds and letters to the editor. Annual reports. Brochures. Business plans. Executive bios. Grant proposals. Newsletters. Public remarks. Q&As. White papers. Web content and blog posts.
Journalism. News stories. Opinion and op-ed articles. First-person narratives. Feature writing. Arts reviews. Business & Tech. Blogging.
Personal writing. Personal essays and storytelling. Short-form and longer-form writing.
Websites. Content. Blog posts. Social media.
No matter the subject – people or places, science or technology, business, culture, sports, or your own story – you want to communicate in a way that reaches other people in a meaningful way. As a writer, an editor, and a teacher, I can help you to craft and review written materials that communicate your message and impact your target audience in an effective and persuasive manner.
Contact me for a free estimate and to discuss your needs for editorial services. I can be reached at tgbenner (at) gmail.com or by calling (65) 8389 1966.
Tom Benner Reports 