Bill Spring

New Paltz, NY USA
Website: http://
Contact

Professional Experience

I'm smart, funny, inventive, and a great researcher and storyteller. For 20 years I've put all these skills to work for my clients in a glorious variety of writing projects. I specialize in scriptwriting, memoir (ghostwriting), fiction, humor, arts and media reviews, and educational writing for kids and teens, but also have experience with story editing, feature journalism, social media, graphics creation, and community management. I'm all about versatility and thinking outside the box...along with being a darn nice guy to work with.

Expertise

Book Author
3 Years
Content Editor (online)
13 Years
Writer
20 Years

Specialty

Family, Children & Teenagers
13 Years
Entertainment
20 Years
Fiction
10 Years

Industries


Magazine - Local/Regional magazines
20 Years
Magazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B)
13 Years
Online/new media
13 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

20 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Cooperator Magazine (10+), PBS Kids/CastleWorks, Inc. (3-5), Hudson Valley Parent Magazine (1-2)

Other Work History

Private clients for ghostwriting memoir projects, references available upon request.

Technical Skills

Photo and image editing, transcription

Computer Skills

Adobe Photoshop, Word, Excel, Dreamweaver, Mac OSX, Windows XP, ExpressScribe, Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, Blogger

Equipment

laptop computer, digital SLR camera, audio recorder

References

Jennifer Castle of CastleWorks, Inc.; Adam Goldberg of Lucky Shannon Productions

Showcase

Young Adult (YA) Fiction

"The Rapture"
(4/4/2013)
A sample chapter for a proposed Young Adult (YA) science fiction novel to be published by a major publisher. Although I was not ultimately hired for this project, I believe this is an excellent example of what I can do with fiction, especially in the YA and sci-fi genres.
"Moscow Central"
(5/1/2014)
A literary packaging agency asked me to write this sample chapter of a YA thriller.

Magazine, Newspaper, and Web Content

"20 Years of Playtime"
(Hudson Valley Parent magazine 5/1/2014)
To commemorate 20 years of publication, Hudson Valley Parent magazine asked me to investigate how children's activities, and parental attitudes towards them, have changed in the last two decades.
Radical Sabbaticals
(Fine Living Network/Scripps Howard 9/15/2024)
My assignment here was to write an ongoing column for the Fine Living Network/Scripps Howard News Syndicate called "Radical Sabbatical." Each piece profiled someone who made a drastic midstream career change to pursue their dreams. Inspiring!
"How to Buy Lingerie for a Woman" and "How To Give a Massage"
(How2.com 9/15/2024)
As a freelance writer for the now-defunct website How2.com, I walked readers step-by-step through a wide variety of important and, er, intimate situations.

Kids, Tweens, and Teens

Adoption
(9/15/2024)
As the senior editor for "It's My Life," the PBS Kids website for tweens ages 8 to 12, I covered a variety of topics. The challenge was always to present sensitive information in a way that was fun, engaging, and appropriate for this age group. This piece also included "real kid" stories.
Various Educational Online Games
(It's My Life/PBS Kids 9/15/2024)
As senior editor for "It's My Life," I wrote scripts for most of the website's online games, including "Tough Crush Canyon," "Beat the Bully," "Story Strips," "Make Up or Break Up," and "You're In Charge."
Puberty
(It's My Life/PBS Kids 9/15/2024)
As the senior editor for "It's My Life," the PBS Kids website for tweens ages 8 to 12, I covered a variety of topics. The challenge was always to present sensitive information in a way that was fun, engaging, and appropriate for this age group.

Memoir (Ghostwriting) and Personal Essays

"I Was A Teenage Auteur"
(The Weeklings 9/13/2012)
The Weeklings, a blog featuring commentary on a wide range of subjects, invited me to get nostalgic about my past as a New Wave film fan.
"The Bull of Heaven"
(Nawar Alsaadi 6/15/2013)
A sample chapter from "The Bull of Heaven," a memoir of successful investor Nawar Alsaadi. Mr. Alsaadi contracted me to ghostwrite the biographical section of the book. I combine interviews with research in my ghostwriting memoir work to capture the essence of an individual's voice and experience.