Tom Gillispie: November 2012

Web site: http://tom-gillispie.blogspot.com/

blog: http://tg-editor-proofreader.blogspot.com/
E-mail: tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com

QUICK DESCRIPTION

• Currently work as freelance editor and writer; have edited novels and non-fiction books, articles, business writing, lawyer’s work, a doctoral dissertation, even an ebook on hand, feet and nail care. 

• Good writer, better editor.
• Self-starter; need little supervision.

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

FREELANCE EXPERIENCE

• Usually work remotely; my clients have included, among others, a lawyer from Virginia, a doctoral candidate from Canada, and an Australian businessman. I’ve also worked as an independent contractor for two Canadian businesses, a magazine and a comic-book company. I have even laid out newspaper pages remotely.

•    Have freelanced for the Metro, Sports, Features, Zones and Niche Publications departments for the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal. Among my stories: a man who survived the Battle of the Bulge; Olympic gymnasts/professional speakers Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci; the best wine lists in Winston-Salem; a 19-year-old proposing to his girlfriend during a carriage ride at Tanglewood Park, and features on Olympic speedskaters Joey Cheek and Dan Jansen.
•    Lately, have been writing for the Journal's Niche Publications department and for its Relish section. Also, have written for Winston-Salem Monthly, another product of the Journal.
    • Have written for the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce's magazine, WS Works, and Spark magazine, another product of the Winston-Salem Journal.

• Have authored three books (and co-authored a fourth) and several comic-book scripts on auto racing. In 2007, wrote Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr. (Cumberland House, 2008). In 2012, became a co-author of Then Junior Said to Jeff... for Triumph Books.
• In 2006, wrote captions for MBI Publishing's book on Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• In 1999, wrote chapters for Beckett Publishing books on Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• Have written freelance articles for various magazines, among them Winston-Salem Monthly, NASCAR Scene, The Sporting News' 1999 and 2000 preseason auto-racing editions, Performance Racing News (Canadian), Sports Illustrated (a short basketball feature), Racing for Teens, Circle Track, Stock Car Racing and more.

• Have written freelance stories for the Miami Herald (college basketball), the Washington Post (auto racing), the Baltimore Sun (college football) and many other daily newspapers.

• Wrote stories for the Ultimate College Football Annual from 2003 to 2008.

    •    Freelanced for the Charleston (S.C.) Regional Business Journal and The Business Journal of the Triad.
    •    Wrote for the iRace, SpeedNet, Worth.com, Boaters.com, the Indianapolis Star's site, and other web sites.
M
NEWSPAPER EXPERIENCE

    •    Have worked at nine newspapers as a writer, copy editor and page designer (and sometimes photographer).
•    Was sports editor at three newspapers, one daily newspaper — the now-defunct Surry Messenger — and two non-daily newspaper— Seneca (SC) Journal and Easley (SC) Progress.

•    From February to May of 2008, was the editor of The Racing Journal, covering short-track racing in the Piedmont of North Carolina and southern Virginia. Handled the writing, editing and photography; also did page design (QuarkXPress) when needed.
• Worked as a sports copy editor and writer at daily newspapers in Hendersonville, NC; Wilmington, NC; Charleston, SC; High Point, NC; Winston-Salem, NC, and Mount Airy, NC (Surry Messenger).
  •    Was editor for The Racing Journal, a product of the Winston-Salem Journal.

COLLEGE

    •    BA degree in journalism (3.2 GPA), Radford (Va.) University.

• News writer for the college newspaper, junior and senior years.

• Writer, Radford (Va.) University Office of Information and Publications.

• Intern, Christiansburg-Blacksburg News-Messenger.