Creative Writing 

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I've been writing since I could hold a pencil,  and I'll be writing until I can no longer breathe. 

Author of more than 300 human-interest columns for the

Commercial-News, I know how to tell a story that hits people in the heart. 

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My column gained a large following and was moved to the popular "About You" section of the widely-read Sunday paper.

 Travel writing, personal essays, book reviews, literary criticism, interviews, blog posts, and grant-writing round out my writing repertoire. 

My work has appeared in magazines, journals, newspapers, and online blogs.  

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A creative fire burns within me. I'm passionate about books and the written word. 

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I'm currently marketing my first full-length manuscript,

The Magic of Ordinary, 

a memoir of growing up

in the '60s and '70s

with a father who was both an average guy and a man of mythic proportion. 

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When I'm not reading or writing,

I'm traveling, gardening, decorating, or sewing.  

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I hold a Masters Degree in English and have taught Rhetoric, Research, American Literature, and Speech. 

Copywriting

A degree in English and experience with writing doesn't make a great copywriter.

Training and hard work do. 

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So I studied.

I took American Writers' and Artists' Accelerated Copywriting Course for Six-Figure Copywriting and mastered the concepts of copywriting.   

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I learned by consuming dozens and dozens of blogs and articles from the top copywriters in the industry. 

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I took a risk and submitted spec challenge assignments to AWAI. 

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I registered for and attended my first Copywriting Bootcamp.

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It paid off. 

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WINNER OF

THREE

SPEC CHALLENGES 

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at AWAI's 2019 Bootcamp,

I had pieces accepted for The Professional Writer's Alliance, The Wealthy Web Writer, and The Writer's Life. 

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Decades in the world of writing and business have taught me valuable lessons about marketing, advertising, and persuasion.

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Now, I'm an AWAI verified copywriter ready to put my experience, knowledge, and talent to work for you.  

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 My Story

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From writing and teaching to entrepreneur...

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In 2006, my husband and I were bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. We embarked on a new adventure and opened a sewing and retreat center.

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We bought and remodeled an abandoned 16,000 square foot nursing home. 

Threads of Time became a "destination location" and a regional powerhouse in an economically-challenged town of 32,000 people. 

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How?

Our weekly newsletter. 

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Every Tuesday night for eleven years, the Threads of Time 

"News Flash" went out.

Filled with good writing, vibrant pictures, and a personal closing, my newsletter was so popular that on the ONE time in eleven years that it went out late due to technical difficulties, a dozen customers called to see if we were okay. 

Personalized marketing at its best. 

I was named Business Woman of the Year, 2012 and "Entrepreneur of the Year, 2016," Danville, Illinois. 

We sold the business and retired in 2017 leaving me free to pursue my life-long dream of writing full-time.

One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore.    

-  Anne Lamott

Martha Kay

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Department Chair, Retired,

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Danville Area Community College

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-On Teaching 

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"Though she be but little, she is fierce!" Shakespeare could have been describing Melissa Gouty, who taught English for twelve years at Danville Area Community College. As her supervisor, I had total confidence in this little woman for her ability to manage a classroom while stimulating her students to read, reflect, and write. Her professional tools were intelligence, energy, creativity, and fierce commitment to her students. 

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Teresa Medeiros

New York Times Best Selling Author

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-On Writing

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Melissa Gouty has the unique ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary simply by using the power of the

written word. With her love of language and her keen insight into the 

human condition, her writing is able to touch the heart as well as the soul.

If you're looking for a consummate professional, then you've found her."

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Marilyn Daughhetee

Illinois Association for 

Home & Community Education,

 National Volunteer

Outreach Network 

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- On Speaking

If you need an entertaining, eloquent speaker, I highly recommend Melissa Gouty.  Her topics are interesting, thoroughly researched, and presented with mesmerizing pictures and slide presentations. On multiple occasions, I have hired her as a speaker at large conferences. The evaluations of attendees rated her as a favorite speaker at two different conferences. 

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