How I’d check it
I read my draft as the person who saw the mistake. If they can’t tell from the first line what changed and what to do, I rewrite the first line. Then I post it in the same place the mistake went.
Writing coach
Jordan Brooks
he/him43
Communications director, city libraries
The city libraries’ communications office. He writes the updates people see when a branch closes or a policy changes.
At work
Writing coach
In every lesson’s Task step, Jordan Brooks asks the same three questions before anything goes out.
- Who needs this first?
- What should they do after reading it?
- Does the first line say what changed?
What I won’t do
Write it for you. He’ll read it back to you as your audience would.
Outside work
How I got this job
He started as a sports reporter, then took a job running the libraries’ social accounts. During a storm closure he posted every branch’s status by hand, hour by hour. He’s run communications since.
Off the clock
- Hobby
- DJs his friends’ weddings. He always announces the last song before he plays it.
- Pet peeve
- An update that opens with “Out of an abundance of caution.”
How I know the crew
When the library announced a zine fair with the wrong date, Mari emailed. Jordan Brooks fixed it in 10 minutes and thanked her by name in the update. She has sent him every typo since. Open Mari’s profile