profile

Judi 411 | Judi Harrington

Paralegal and financial pro turned copywriter bringing boring topics to life, serving as the Resident Writing Expert for realtors, attorneys, and financial pros. Check out my emails below and enter your email address to get my freebie, "5 Ways to Make Your Copy UN-Boring"

tilt selective photograph of music notes
Featured Post

Once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it

Hi Reader, One of the side effects of having a trained musical ear is this: Once you hear something clearly, you can’t pretend you didn’t. A sharp note. A rhythm that drags. A harmony that almost works, but doesn’t quite resolve. Voice works the same way. Once you start really listening, you notice when language is close—but not true. When it’s competent, but not convincing. When it’s saying a lot, but not actually landing anywhere. That’s not nitpicking. That’s discernment. And discernment...

Young woman studying at a desk with an open book.

Hi Reader, Before I worked with words, I worked with music. Having a trained ear definitely gives me a leg up—but the real gift wasn’t learning how to sound better. It was learning how to listen. To tone.To timing.To what’s being emphasized—and what’s being avoided. Once you hear something clearly, you can’t un-hear it.A sharp note.A rhythm that drags.A harmony that almost works, but doesn’t quite resolve. Voice is like that. Once you start listening closely, you notice when language is...

Hi Reader, Quick nudge in case this got buried in your inbox. Animal Mayhem launched this week, and my long-told, long-stored story is officially out in the wild. It began over coffee.It escalated quickly.It lived in a drawer for years. Now it’s in print. If you’ve ever misjudged a pet with full confidence… this book will feel familiar. And if you know Gina Ramsey, you know this project is filled with heart and laughter. She does not do small energy. 👉 You can grab your copy here: [ORDER...

a woman using a laptop

Hi Reader, Q2 around here is all about Voice—not “pick three brand adjectives,” not “sound more friendly,” not “try harder.” I mean the real thing: the way your message lands when someone reads it and thinks, Oh. This feels like them. And here’s the part most people miss: Voice doesn’t live only in your writing. It shows up everywhere—your website, your visuals, your tone, your presence. Which is why I love the work I’ve been doing with Heard Creative, Co, led by Lilia Lagesse. Lilia designs...

Hi Reader, It’s launch day. Animal Mayhem: When Wild Things Go Wilder is officially out in the world. Twenty-four true stories.Animals behaving brilliantly and badly.Humans who believed they were in charge. Including me. The story I mentioned last fall — the one that started over coffee and disappeared into a drawer — now has a proper home in print. It involves a beloved pet, a confident assumption, and the kind of mistaken identity that only improves with time. Gina Ramsey has curated...

Pink cherry blossoms bloom against a bright blue sky.

Hi Reader, April is a lot around here. Birthday month. 4/11 Day. Earth Day. A whole lot of talk about voice, clarity, and saying what you actually mean. If there’s a thread running through all of it, it’s this: Clarity comes from paying attention, not pushing harder. When you slow down enough to notice what matters—who you want to speak to, what they’re really struggling with, and what you want to be known for—your voice gets steadier. Decisions get easier. Waste drops away. That’s the work...

Earth with clouds above the African continent

Hi Reader, my fellow Earthling, I think about sustainability a lot. In how I live. In how I consume. And in how much unnecessary effort I’m willing to tolerate. That’s true for writing, too. Voice doesn’t show up because you try harder or wait longer. It shows up when you ask better questions before you start writing. That’s why I created the Voice Clarity Session. It’s a focused, proprietary process I use to: Extract your natural voice (not invent one) Amplify the language your audience...

top view of houseware

Hi Reader, Last fall, I told you I’d been accepted into an anthology called Animal Mayhem: When Wild Things Go Wilder. As promised, here’s the rest of the story. My contribution began over coffee with friends — the way many good stories do. I told a tale about a dear friend’s pet. There was mistaken identity. Absolute confidence. Spectacular wrongness. It became legend. Eventually, I wrote it down. It lived briefly on a long-ago blog. Then it went into a drawer. Where it has been sitting for...

yellow and blue lego blocks

Hi Reader, Release the doves. It is the day you have all been waiting for. April 13th—my birthday. (No gifts necessary; send cash.) And in case you’re new here, I share a birthday with Alfred Mosher Butts, the inventor of Scrabble. This feels correct. So, in honor of this auspicious alignment, I present: Scrabble Myths… Busted. Myth #1: I am a cut-throat Scrabble player. You may have heard the warnings. “Don’t play Scrabble with Judi unless you’re prepared for bloodshed.” Friends, nothing...

a cup of coffee next to an open book

Hi Reader, April 11th is 4/11 Day around here. Which means it’s my personal holiday dedicated to clarity, context, and actually knowing what’s going on. So let’s apply that energy to one of the most common things people say to me: “It doesn’t sound like me.” That sentence isn’t about confidence. It’s about confusion. In Scrabble terms, it’s having letters on the rack but no clear move on the board. The writing is fine. The words are accurate. But the strategy isn’t clear. Usually, one of...