J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

The Human in the Loop: Salvaging Projects From AI Slop

July 30, 2026 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

Originally featured on DCC Cyber’s Freelancer’s Guide to AI. We’re far enough into the generative AI era that most of us who practice medical writing and medical editing have lived … Read more

5 Things I’d Tell a Medical Communicator Before Going Freelance

August 5, 2026July 27, 2026 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

Going freelance in medical communications can look deceptively simple from the outside.

You have subject-matter knowledge. You have writing, editing, or strategy skills. You know how to work with scientific, medical, or technical material. So the next step seems straightforward: find clients and do the work.

But freelancing is not just a career move. It is a practice-building move.

The work matters, of course. But so do the systems around the work: how you position yourself, how you define scope, how you communicate with clients, how you protect confidential information, how you price your time, and how you build a pipeline that does not depend entirely on luck or last-minute referrals.

Here are five things I’d tell a medical communicator before going freelance.

The Best Edit May Be a Query

May 13, 2026May 4, 2026 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

Not every sentence problem should be solved with a rewrite. Sometimes the strongest edit is a question.

This is especially true in medical and scientific editing, where precision matters and the editor may not be the content owner. A sentence may be awkward because the logic is incomplete. A claim may sound overstated because the evidence is being interpreted too broadly. A term may appear inconsistent because the author is distinguishing between concepts that are not yet clear to the reader. In those cases, silently rewriting the text can create risk. The editor may smooth the prose but unintentionally change the meaning. I see this frequently, to the point where the heavily edited content no longer aligns with the sources cited.

Statistical Significance Is Not the Same as Clinical Meaning

March 30, 2026 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

woman in white long sleeve laboratory gown standing

Professional expertise in medical writing and editing includes fluency in the statistical methods most commonly used in one’s area of specialization. Sometimes, though, we can get really wrapped up in … Read more

The Narrative Thread

May 14, 2026January 30, 2026 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

This post originally appeared on Strategic Grantsmanship and is republished here with permission.

Narrative coherence in grant proposals is not about style—it is about strategy.

When writers talk about “narrative” in grants, it is often misunderstood as storytelling in the literary sense. Reviewers are not looking for drama, flourish, or creative voice. What we are tracking—often subconsciously—is whether the proposal maintains a coherent narrative thread from beginning to end.

This narrative thread is not ornamental. It is the mechanism that allows reviewers to follow logic, evaluate significance, and maintain confidence in the investigator and the proposed work.

What Makes an AI Tool “Safe” for Freelancers?

December 14, 2025December 12, 2025 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

person in white long sleeve shirt using digital tablet

Originally featured on DCC Cyber’s Freelancer’s Guide to AI. Last Updated on December 11, 2025 Read moreHow Can Writers Use AI?Not all AI tools are created equally—and when you’re a … Read more

Do Clients Actually Want You to Use AI? Here’s What They Really Expect

August 11, 2026November 14, 2025 J. Kelly Byram, MS, MBA, ELS

Originally featured on DCC Cyber’s Freelancer’s Guide to AI.

“Should I tell clients I’m using AI—or will it scare them off?”

It’s a question nearly every freelancer asks. And in this post, when I say AI, I specifically mean generative AI (GenAI) tools—the kind that create text, images, or code.

But here’s the truth: most clients aren’t worried about whether you use AI.

They care how you use it—and what it means for them. Your process, judgment, and professionalism still matter most.

Let’s unpack what clients actually want from freelancers who use AI.