Archive for the ‘Fiction’ Category

Although the world economy has been in a fritz for more than a year now, 2009 has been the strongest year yet in my career. I don’t take this situation for granted, and I’m extremely grateful that I have clients who appreciate my work and continue to invest in marketing materials during the downturn.

In this busy year, August-October have been the busiest months. I was in Japan from the end of July to the end of August, working flat-out on English-to-Japanese translation projects for my major Japanese automaker client.

Here is what I worked on for this client August-October:

• Translated the better part of the annual environmental report and edited the work of other translators
• Translated the better part of the annual corporate social responsibility report and edited the work of other translators
• Translated several articles for a new portion of the company website dealing with design
• Translated the better part of a the press kit for the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009
• Translated the copy for a poster used around the world
• Translated several press releases

I also did a lot of work for this client that did not involve translation.

The end of the year will probably be a bit less busy, since Japan goes into Shogatsu mode–but it will still be busy. Thank you, clients!

August-October 2009 has been one of the busiest periods in my entire career. I’m grateful to have such great clients when the world economy is not doing so well!

Here is what I’ve been up to…

For my major Japanese automaker client, I…

• Wrote and edited content for two major reports
• Edited the company’s internal newsletter (I do this every month)
• Wrote 89 individual articles for a new section of the company’s website

These projects involved translation to a degree. I also did several projects for this client that were pure Japanese-to-English translation.

For ghost blogging client No. 1, I…

• Updated the blog
• Edited a press release
• Named the company’s major new product
• Helped write a new brochure on the new product

For ghost blogging client No. 2, I…

• Updated the blog
• Provided a gratis consultation on the client’s current marketing mix (as a marketing MBA, this is something I do to help my clients out!)

For ghost blogging client No. 3 (new since August), I…

• Completely revised the client’s website both to create a better site and help the blog be maximally effective
• Updated the blog

I love this new client! They are the best at what they do in Indianapolis, and I’m proud to be their blogger. In line with my “Japanese training,” I have been visiting the client’s gemba: I’ve been going to every one of their stores, meeting their associates, and deepening my understanding of their business.

Sports fiction

I wrote seven new short stories for a major publisher, and I’ll be writing two other stories by the end of the year. Five of the stories dealt with football, and two dealt with basketball (the remaining two will also deal with basketball).

Another new client

Through a referral I developed another new client that is like a YouTube for positive, family-friendly infomercials.  I wrote two short video scripts about an agricultural product for their client. These scripts received very good reviews, so I hope to do more work for this company in the near future.

Yet another new client

This is a medical device company doing some very exciting things. I have helped them write two press releases, which seem to have gone over quite well.

Biz lit book

My coauthor and I have made major progress on the book, and we plan to have a pretty clean draft complete by Thanksgiving.

What I’d like to help you with

Since this is the first time I’ve had any breathing room since April or so, it’s a good time to talk about new projects! I am interested in taking on new ghost blogging and newsletter clients. Now would also be a good time to talk about revising your website copy–why not make your site new and fresh in the new year? I also tell people I am looking for “fun projects.” I have my regular work each month, and it’s nice to have variety.

Please feel free to call or email me about your projects–I can help!

May has been a very busy month for Japanese-to-English translation. For a major Japanese automaker, I have translated a press release and Q&A document concerning a new 4-stroke marine outboard engine (obviously, this company makes more than cars).

For a major Japanese movie and television production company and broadcaster, I have subtitled the pilot episode of a TV series. I’m happy to report that my work has met with approval, and I’ve been given another pilot to subtitle.

In Medical interpretation has slowed down a bit recently, but writing work has been plentiful. For a major Japanese automaker, I have done the following:

• Translated from Japanese to English a script for a short video about a major new safety technology. I had earlier translated the press release, in effect branding the technology in the English language. This technology, and hence my particular wording, has received a great deal of attention in the press.
• Translated from Japanese to English a press release for a major new automobile model. I had earlier served as a lead writer (writing straight to English) on the US press kit for the model.
• Begun translating from Japanese to English a 13-page article on this model for internal use in the company.
• Edited a 20-page internal newspaper for the company. I translated several articles from Japanese to English, wrote others in English based on materials provided by the company, and edited articles by other writers.

In local news, I helped a Japanese family secure a mortgage the other day. I translated (or, in this case, provided an overview of) some Japanese banking documents for a local mortgage company and talked with one of the borrowers on the phone to help her understand what additional documentation was required.

My coauthor and I have reached a new milestone in the business literature book we’re working on: we’ve now got a mockup of the full book together in Word and are working on filling in the blanks and polishing the content.

That’s what’s going on in Horehound Central. I have a good plate full o’ work right now but would very much like to discuss your writing projects and needs, so please drop me a line.

You may have read the press release I posted on this site for “Center,” my short story about high school football player going off to college in the year 1948. The story was recently serialized in Touchdown Illustrated magazine, and I now have it available on my personal blog. I think you’ll enjoy it as a story, and it’s another sample of my writing available for your inspection.

I must beg the forgiveness of my subscribers who have been asking, “Where’s my update?” December has turned out to be quite a busy month–and there are still two weeks to go. For a major Japanese automaker, I have done the following:

• Completed the internal magazine dealing with the company’s history in an Asian country.
• Translated a PowerPoint presentation of over 50 slides, which was used at an event introducing a major new model to North America.
• Translated an internal manual of 41 pages (an ongoing project that will require a good deal more work, to be sure).
• Translated a blurb that will be used in another internal publication.

In the business literature project, my author and I are making great progress, and we should be able to get a final draft together within a month or so. We would like to start looking for a publisher in January.

Things are going well at my Web developer client in Southern Indiana. I visited the firm recently, interviewed all the staff, and am writing bios that the company will put on their websites. It’s a nice project, and the client is fun to work with!

Although I did not write it in December, my new sports fiction story has been published and is being distributed at college basketball venues around the country. I will write and post a press release as soon as I receive some copies from the publisher.

I also have been called into local hospitals to interpret quite a bit in the past two weeks. I like this work because it gets me out of the house, allows me to help people on an immediate, personal level, and keeps my interpreter’s saw sharp.

My networking efforts seem to be going quite well; a lot of people are interested in the product I have to offer, and several projects are on the horizon. What makes me happy is that I don’t have to sell too hard and price doesn’t seem to be an issue; I seem to be finding natural win-wins pretty easily.

For these reasons, 2009 promises to be a very busy year. That doesn’t mean, however, that I am not interested in helping you with your project. Please give me a call!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, November 13, 2008–Premier college football magazine Touchdown Illustrated has published “Center,” a short story by Indianapolis-based writer Matt Rouge. Set in the summer of 1948 and featuring authentic period detail, “Center” is the story of star center Dale Trump and the challenges he faces and overcomes in transitioning from high school to college.

According to Editor-in-Chief Tom Nondorf, Touchdown Illustrated, or TDI, is purchased and distributed by colleges and universities across the nation and boasts a circulation of over 100,000. Fans enjoy feature articles on a wide range of college football topics, interviews with players and coaches, quizzes and other entertainment pieces, and original fiction by established and up-and-coming authors. Advertisers include automakers, electronics manufacturers, major retail chains, and sporting goods companies.

TDI commissioned Rouge to write “Center,” serializing the story in five installments starting with an issue celebrating the history of college football. Because TDI provides subscribing institutions a full season’s worth of issues at a time, the five parts of “Center” will become available according to the game schedules of each individual college or university.

President of commercial writing and Japanese translation firm Marrubium Inc., Matt Rouge is receiving increasing notice for his poetry, plays, and short fiction. Said Rouge, “I am very proud to have TDI publish this story, and I hope the fans get a kick out of taking a peek into life and college football 60 years ago. I did my best to research all the details, and Tom has added some great period photos to the layout that really bring back the spirit of the times. Tom and the crew at TDI are always fantastic to work with.” Further information about Matt Rouge and Marrubium Inc. are available at www.marrubium.com.

There is a lot going on right now:

• I am working on a video script for a major Japanese automaker that introduces a new model in its diesel automobile lineup. The video will be used in dealerships throughout Europe, according to what I’ve been told.
• Another video script project just came in, and this one is also for a major Japanese automaker but deals with the history of one of its Asian subsidiaries
• I will also be doing a press release for a major Japanese automaker about some of its new interactive environmental technologies.
• Finally, that press kit project (for, of course, a major Japanese automaker) continues to progress. My colleague in Japan has visited the client and received access to a wealth of graphics data which we will use to give the press kit a truly remarkable look. I am very proud to be a part of this project, which will introduce a very important new model to North America.

I am busy, but it’s a good even burn. I have stepped up my local marketing efforts and joined the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. Salesperson Brady Jacoba has done a fantastic job of getting me on board and getting my listing up on their site (click on the “New Members” link on the home page to see the listing for Marrubium Inc.). It looks like the Indy Chamber has a very nice program ready for 2009, and I am proud to be a member. Call Brady at 317.464.2209 for more information.

I have also been meeting with local ad agencies and website developers to talk about helping out. I can take on about 3 – 4 medium- to large-size clients right now going into winter but am also happy to do one-off projects for individual businesses. If you would like to create some new marketing content for your business or start a long-term business relationship, now is a great time to talk with me, as I expect a very full plate in spring and summer 2009 (and yes, that is with the economic downturn, in which, as the old joke goes, I have decided not to participate).

I am happy to do visit your business to do a free consultation, and I also have relationships with excellent graphic designers and Web developers, so please give me a call!

The automobile press kit project has been in stasis since last week but should be heating up again soon. In the meantime, I have been working on three other projects:

• The biographies for my local client. There are nine of them, and the trick has been to get a good balance between them so that all have the same length, same tone, and same level of appeal. It looks as though they will be used as Web content by the client. I’m somewhat of a perfectionist, but I think I’m almost there.
• A book I’m writing with a client. Actually, he’s the boss, he’s the main author, and I’m the editor and encourager. The topic is under wraps for now, but let’s just say that it deals with self-improvement in the world of business. My author is really quite brilliant, and it truly is a privilege to be a part of his work. Once we get a publishing deal together, of course I will raise a big ruckus about it here and tell you exactly where you can buy it.
• Finishing up my basketball story. “After the Big Game” will be published in four installments in college basketball programs.

I’ve got really good momentum on the book, so it looks as though that will be my focus for tomorrow, but things often fly in from Japan while I sleep!

Shame on me: it’s been a month since I’ve written here. Time has flown, but not in an unproductive fashion. In addition to getting the content of this site together (apologies again to my visitors!), I’ve been working on the following for a major Japanese automaker:

• New model press kit. This consumed most of September, as my friends and family well know. It’s not done yet, but the US affiliate has approved the copy for the most part and we are now going to layout. Many revisions to follow, I’m sure. I need to keep mum about the details, but the vehicle is truly exciting! This press kit is not translation-based; I am writing it in English, editing a variety of source content and adding extensive copy of my own. Tough but rewarding work!
• Two press releases for the same vehicle, which has created quite a stir at the still ongoing Paris Motor Show.
• A press release for a very interesting new safety device. My translation in effect ended up branding the device, and it was by no means a literal translation (literalness would not have worked in this case) so I am rather proud of this. This release was picked up by auto-related media around the world.
• A press release about a power steering system.
• An internal media piece.
• A large panel for an international competition.
• A video script concerning another model. This video will not be seen by so many people, as the model in question is practically a race car and something quite exclusive. Fun stuff.

OK, that’s all for one company. Here’s what I have been doing here in the US the past month:

• Interpreted for hospitals. We had the Moto GT race here at the Speedway recently, and I was called to Interpret for a rider who crashed during the race and bumped his head. He was completely fine and was released in just a few hours. He certainly was an interesting fellow to talk to, though!
• Interpreted for a law firm.
• Am currently working on some bios for a local service provider to go up on their website. Very nice client.
• I’ve had a fiction story serialized in college football programs sent out to stadiums around the country. The publisher told me the circulation was at least 100k, so I hope readership will be substantial. The publisher liked my story quite a bit, so I’m working on a new one now.

Thanks much again to my clients, friends, and family who are always such a great support as I write like crazy. I promise now to blog here on a more frequent basis and keep you up to date with my goings-on!