I’m offering free copy editing for your technical articles.
Anyone can become a better writer through practice, but you can speed up that process with a mentor.
Copy Editing?
That’s right. I want to help you with your writing. If you submit your writing to me, I’ll go through it and offer suggestions. I won’t just point out spelling and grammar mistakes. I’ll point out sentences that can be reworded or cut. And I’ll point out paragraphs that can be rearranged. Basically I’ll point out any improvement I see given your intended audience and your style. So for example, if you’re writing a rap song about SQL Server’s Cardinality Estimator, I may let some grammar mistakes (and your backbone) slide.
I don’t like to offer unsolicited advice, so consider this an invitation to solicit my advice. I welcome everyone’s writing, I likely have some advice to offer anyone brave enough to submit something for me to look at. (Unless your name is Kevin Kline. Kevin, you’re doing fine.)
How?
Easy! Fill out a form. Request Copy Editing
Why Are You Doing This Michael?
Sentences which are awkward hurts my eyes and is making me feeling some uncomfortableness and I am wanting to stop it any way.
Actually, I remember proofreading some articles for John Sansom’s DBA Jumpstart project. There was some wincing, but I found the work very rewarding. I’ve continued to do this for others in an ad hoc manner. I’ve been helping a user group friend with proofreading and I find it easy and fun.
I’ve gotten a lot of help from others in the past few years. This is me paying it forward using my talents.
“Sentences which are awkward hurts my eyes and is making me feeling some uncomfortableness and I am wanting to stop it any way.”
You don’t say. 😉
Comment by Ben Thul — May 8, 2014 @ 12:04 pm
I am married to a publications program manager. This sets the bar very high in our household. The bar for most technical writing in places I’ve worked is completely missing. Sometimes I am happy if the document at least makes sense at some basic level.
Comment by Andrew Notarian — May 15, 2014 @ 12:02 pm
Hey Andrew,
You’re right of course. I think clear writing is an undervalued skill. There’s no ceiling either. I wish I had my own mentor to point things out in my own writing.
Comment by Michael J. Swart — May 15, 2014 @ 1:21 pm
[…] I’m Going To Help You Become A Better Writer – Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter) […]
Pingback by (SFTW) SQL Server Links 16/05/14 • John Sansom — May 16, 2014 @ 5:32 am
This is something that is sorely needed. It would be interesting to see some kind of rollup of most common kinds of feedback you’re giving. 🙂
Comment by Mike Shepard — May 19, 2014 @ 11:11 am
That’s a great idea Mike.
I’m going to have to figure out exactly what format I should use to roll that up. I’m also going to have to generalize the advice I roll up so that the people submitting requests remain anonymous.
Comment by Michael J. Swart — May 20, 2014 @ 3:58 pm
Wouldn’t that be: “I likely have some advice to offer anyone brave enough to submit something at which for me to look”? Please let me know if I can assist you with my solicited unsolicited advice.
Comment by Eric A. — May 31, 2014 @ 1:47 pm
I like to follow George Orwell’s writing advice: “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.” 🙂
Comment by Michael J. Swart — June 1, 2014 @ 9:43 am
[…] little while back Michael J Swart(B/T) offered to help you become a better writer. This was exciting for me because over the last 2 years (wow I’ve been doing this almost 2 […]
Pingback by MJ Swart offers free technical editing | SQL Studies — June 9, 2014 @ 8:00 am