Your Story,
Well Told

I help people claim their place in the world through their story.  

This is mainly through personal statements, essays, letters, and related work needed to apply for college and graduate school, scholarships, jobs, and awards. 
I bring 30+ years of full-time, award-winning writing and editing experience, and especially enjoy working with clients whose first language is not English.

While I cannot guarantee that you will get that job or scholarship, I promise that your materials will be polished and will reflect your unique strengths and capabilities.

How it works for each essay/statement:

If you already have a complete draft, email it to me, along with your résumé (if you have one), and information on the deadline and  other requirements. I add questions and comments. You send me your responses, and I revise as needed. Payment of $125 via PayPal or credit card is required before I begin.
If you don't yet have a complete draft, email me your résumé (if you have one), along with information on the the deadline and other requirements. I send you some questions, and use your answers to create the draft. Payment of $250 via PayPal or credit card is required before I begin.

Fees for bundling different writing and editing tasks (CV + cover letter + teaching statement + diversity statement, for example, or editing your dissertation or journal article for English-language usage) vary by project. Please get in touch to discuss your needs. 

What Clients Are Saying Now

"I am not sure where to begin describing your brilliance. This personal statement is perfect."
--K.W., graduate school applicant

Ann "proved to be a brainstorming guru."
--H.K., writer

My Story

With my grandfather in 1969

I was six years old in July 1969, when astronauts first landed on the moon.
"From horse-drawn carriages to spaceships!" my grandfather said to my grandmother. "What things we have seen!" 
I remembered the stories they told that day much more vividly than what was on TV.
This launched my desire to help people tell their stories, and it's as thrilling to me today as it was way back then.

About Ann

Ann Kellett, Ph.D.

Education & Experience

I live in Bryan-College Station, Texas, and have clients around the world.
I earned a B.A. in English from Hendrix College and an M.Ed. and Ph.D. in higher education administration from Texas A&M University.
My clients have included four government agencies and three nonprofit organizations.
I also have written for three presidents of Texas A&M and three chancellors of the A&M System.

Awards & Honors

I was only the second person to receive both the Dissertation of the Year Award and T. M. Stinnett Award for Excellence in Research.
I was in Leadership Texas (now Leadership Women), a year-long program for 100 women leaders.
I was awarded an Administrative Fulbright Grant to Japan.
My work has received awards from the International Association of Business Communicators and other professional organizations. 
My fiction won the top prize in the 2012 Writers' Police Academy Golden Donut short story contest, was a finalist for the Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction at the 2019 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, and received an honorable mention in the 2020 Flash Fiction Contest by Spider Road Press.

Some of My Own Work

Here's my guest post on the Vermont-based Editorial Arts Academy blog about an elderly client who found that telling her story freed her from dark childhood memories.

Using the Five Senses to Improve Your Writing (2019). This book helps you strategically use the five senses to make your story more realistic and engaging.

A Freelancer's Guide to Difficult Clients (Editorial Freelancers Association, 2018). I've only had a couple of problem clients, but I was intrigued and surveyed other freelancers. The book discusses what I learned--and what to do.

Interviewing Relatives for Your Family History (2019). This  guide offers practical tips for how to get your relatives to open up, how to think in terms of story, and how to handle conflict and sensitive issues. Look for an excerpt in an upcoming issue of Your Genealogy Today.