Professional editing and writing driven by human thinking,
so your documents kick goals and land opportunities.

What does it cost your organisation if your writing fails to do its job? What happens – or doesn’t ‒ if a report isn’t read, a grant application doesn’t win, the board says ‘no’, or your research doesn’t influence policy?

Maybe a program ends because it didn't get sign-off or funding. Maybe the research that took so much effort doesn't translate to real-world impact. Maybe your annual report readers can see what you did but not what difference it made to lives.

Those outcomes are avoidable, not bad luck. They suggest that you’re not seeing writing as a success strategy.

Organisations have to do a lot of writing just to function. So why not use that box-ticking must-do for strategic gain and achieve more of the outcomes you need?

Lee Ellwood and the EllWords team offer professional editing and writing backed by human thinking to help your organisation achieve its goals.

I’m Lee Ellwood, founder and director of EllWords. I'm a writing strategist, IPEd-accredited professional editor and content writer.

I work with organisations who are doing good things to help them get those good things done. And I have a team behind me who care about your work, too.

Wait, what? Writing is strategic?

Yep. With the right approach, it can be – and it's an under-used tool for landing opportunities, achieving goals and creating change. All it needs is a Write, Thinking approach.

Organisational writing becomes strategic when:

  • it’s built on sound, engaged, human thinking
  • the words and structure are shaped and tailored to suit its purpose and audience
  • it’s then professionally checked and polished for clarity and consistency, and
  • it's human-reviewed before use to confirm its effectiveness and readiness.

Without all of those steps, your writing won't fulfil its potential to achieve your goals.

Human thinking + specialised writing + professional editing: that’s our approach to strategic writing. And we can help you make the switch from functional documents to strategy.

Get more return out of the investment you're already making. Don't just tick boxes: kick goals.

The Write, Thinking approach: for documents that work.

This is how we can take your writing from everyday to strategic, empowering you to maximise every opportunity to kick your goals.

Skip one of these steps, and your documents are going to miss the mark. And we can help you at each stage or every stage (except the last one, which is yours alone).

A diagram representing the Write, Thinking approach. Four boxes with text saying Think, Write, Edit, Think sit side by side and numbered 1 to 4.
Find out more

For example ...

Here are some ways we've helped clients achieve the outcomes they needed.

  • We helped Leading Hand Design write the submission that won them the 2026 NSW School Spectacular graphic design tender.
  • Our editing of the last 2 annual reports helped Blacktown City Council win a special award for 10 consecutive Gold annual reports.
  • Our writing audits and analysis helped a WA academic team clinch publication of several research articles in relevant journals.

Who we work with.

The EllWords professional editing and writing team: Lee Ellwood, Dr Penny Hayes and Kylie Howard

Our clients are public interest organisations ‒ government departments and councils, peak bodies and sector associations, community and for-purpose groups, research institutes ‒ organisations full of smart, caring people trying to do good things.

And that's where EllWords comes in.

We combine human thinking, specialised writing and editing expertise to make your writing strategic and help you achieve those good things.

Meet us here

Psst: ideas worth stealing.

Discover our insights into writing, editing, plain language and getting documents to do their job ‒ human thinking included.

An older woman and main look over plain language communication documents togther

Why use plain language in your communication?

Because it's the win-win strategy your organisation can't afford to ignore.

A blond white woman is reading a printed annual report. Writing a good annual report will help to get attention for your impactful work.

Writing a good annual report starts at the beginning

Annual report season doesn't have to be stressful. Plan now, before you start, and save angst later.

A businesswoman wearing a hijab is working in office. She looks very frustrated by the cost of bad business writing as she grimaces at documents.

The cost of bad business
writing


Poor writing may be doing your organisation more damage than you realise. Can you afford it?

How do you write impact reports well? A dark-haired man in white, button-through shirt man sits at an office desk with a laptop and documents. His head is buried in his hands as though he doesn't know where to start..

How to write impact reports that people actually read

They're your organisation's chance to make an impact on your readers, in more ways than one. 

Want to achieve more with every document your organisation writes?

Let's talk about how our professional editing, specialised writing and human thinking approach can create success strategies for you.

Start here