John Miller’s Post

Check out my October blog post. What is a Beta Reader? Explore the terms involved in receiving feedback and edits By Alissa Dedic October 31, 2024 Recently I have seen first-time writers looking for feedback on their writing. These writers are excited about completing the first draft of their manuscript. Sometimes they apologize because they don’t know all the right terms for requesting feedback. Sometimes they are confused and overwhelmed by all the new terms. I felt and shared their sense of confusion and overwhelm. There were so many different terms when I returned to writing and editing. The internet wasn’t as developed back when I was in college. I had kind professors who helped students learn the terminology and appropriate order for publishing something. I felt out of date when my term was not the same as the one currently showing up on social media or job postings. Thankfully the internet has many resources that are kind like my college professors. I was able to get up to speed on these terms and sort it all out with a simple Google search. I discovered the three key terms that come up as a writer looks for feedback and edits: editor, alpha reader and beta reader. To read the full post click the link https://lnkd.in/giejz6t9

A useful resource for aspiring writers - this is a great blog - I’d recommend signing up for their e mails as there’s always something useful. Learning never ends 😊 #TBWRWritingTips

Simple language keeps people reading. Before publishing your next post... Check your post's Flesch Readability score. Scores range from 0 to 100, so aim for above 70. Higher scores = easier-to-read content. To get there... Delete any big words and complicated phrases. Shorten longer sentences. Then, press publish Not sure how to check your score? Use a website like Hemingway Editor. Or an app like Grammarly. 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡? 𝙃𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚

Simple language keeps people reading. Before publishing your next post... Check your post's Flesch Readability score. Aim for a score above 70. Scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores = easier-to-read content. To get there... Delete any big words and complicated phrases. Shorten longer sentences. Then, press publish Not sure how to check your score? Use a website like Hemingway Editor. Or an app like Grammarly. 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡? 𝙃𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚

Here is Part 2 of tips on dealing with editors and reviewers. 8. Use tact and courtesy in your responses to the editor and reviewers. -Some of their points may piss you off, but they are performing a valuable service AND they are the gatekeepers of publication acceptance. 9. Write your paper well, as bad writing will likely get your paper rejected. -Do not start writing until you have clearly conceptualized your theoretical framing, understand your results, can account for findings that failed to support your hypotheses, and know the main take-away(s) from your study, etc. In other words, do not start writing until you have figured out the points you wish to make in your paper. Then, you can focus your writing on presenting your ideas clearly, instead writing a bunch of half-baked, convoluted gibberish that will piss off reviewers because it's difficult to follow. -Write a single, non-technical sentence that summarizes your study and use it to guide your writing of the paper (i.e., Think of how you would respond to a reporter who asks what your paper is about). The sentence helps prevent you from going off topic and annoying the editor and reviewers with extraneous material that is irrelevant. MORE ISN'T MORE!!! If you reach the method section beyond pages 15 or 16, then I guarantee nearly 100% that your paper will be rejected (due to poor writing, poor logical flow, lack of conciseness, etc.). An exception to this heuristic is multi-study papers. -As an AE, writing quality fed my estimation of an author's ability to respond effectively to the review team's comments. Simply put, poor writing led me to make attributions of author incompetence. Accordingly, if I was on the fence about whether to reject a paper or grant a revision, then a poorly-written first submission would guarantee rejection due to the above-described attribution process. First impressions mean a lot so put your best foot forward on your initial submission. If you have writing difficulties, then seek out a colleague who writes well to proof your draft or consult a professional copyeditor for assistance. 10. Seek out a friendly review for each submission from a trusted colleague (or colleagues) who has (relatively recent) publication success in the journal(s) you wish to target.

On small mistakes and fixing them. Early in my career, often, I re-read my paper under review, and would ask myself: why did I phrase it that way? I clearly was not careful. Always take time to re-read your work, especially the response to the reviewers, one more time before submitting the paper. Small details matter. So, how do attend to small details in writing well? 1. Finish the paper before the deadline. My best teams finish papers a week before the deadline. That gives people time to think and reflect on the paper before submission. 2. Have it copyedited. A copyeditor helps with prose. It does not provide quality assurance. BUT. A good copyeditor will flag sentences that do not make sense. Make sure you take those flagged sentences seriously. 3. Use Grammarly. Often, Grammarly is flat-out wrong. Its suggestions are not great. However, it is an expert at flagging difficult-to-understand sentences. Seriously consider whether the sentences it flags as lacking clarity can use a rewrite. 4. Curb your dramatic impulses. Often, the sentences that I think add character to a paper, also make the paper more opaque. Dramatic sentences do not translate well across cultural contexts. Write for a global, international audience, so keep it simple, clear and on point. 5. Do one last read and spell check. Read the paper the day you submit. Read it from beginning to finish. Make sure all of the parts align. Do a final spell check - I am constantly surprised by how often I or a colleague- insert a misspelling into our papers - in our rush to submit. If you do these things, you are more likely to submit a cleaner, easier to understand paper. Which. Usually translate to more positive feedback! Best of luck! #academiclife #academicwriting

Day #61 of #HowCanHumansHelp Today's HUMAN is Debbie Emmitt! 🙌 Check out Debbie's profile and the services she provides. 💻📲 How can this HUMAN help you? Debbie is an editor and proofreader for authors and website owners, an “Editor to learn craft from”, and a specialist editor of books set in France. Debbie is also the author of: - Improve Your Author Website - Improve Your Editor Website - mystery novel in progress In her words... “Whether you're a self-published author or planning to submit your book to a literary agent, I can help. I line-edit, copyedit and proofread novels (esp. mysteries, thrillers and historical fiction) and non-fiction (esp. memoirs and biographies). Read more, plus 5-star reviews: https://lnkd.in/dEcWB9Fb If you're a first-time author, I'll take any fears you may have out of the editing process, guiding you through it and focusing on retaining your voice. If you've written a book set in 🇫🇷France🇫🇷, I can check it for authenticity and language/dialogue/accent issues in addition to a full edit. I read French at the University of Oxford, have lived and worked in France, and have written a book set in France. I have extensive experience editing and proofreading web content. I can check your copy through the lens of SEO, web accessibility and user experience. I edit web content for The Royal Mint and other prestigious clients.” I e-met Debbie thanks to the amazing LinkedIn #network, and I simply LOVE her posts. I learn a lot! THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge!🤗 -------- #HowCanHumansHelp daily hashtag celebrates the power of humanity on LinkedIn. Imagine a LinkedIn feed filled not just with “How can AI help you?” but also with “How can this HUMAN help you?” Let's make this platform a daily celebration of human potential. Here's how you can HELP: 1️⃣ Start posting similar content and tagging HUMANS from your network. 2️⃣ React and share if you resonate with the message. 3️⃣ Comment if you've had the pleasure of working/speaking… with the HUMAN being tagged. 4️⃣ Use the hashtag #HowCanHumansHelp to spread the movement. The goals are simple: ✨ Give visibility to HUMANS. ✨ Replace or at least balance the AI-related posts with #HUMAN posts. #HowCanHumansHelp

More tips from Patrick F. McKay on responding to reviewers. Content worth reading! #academicwriting

📚 Idioms and expressions add color and personality to your writing — they bring your content to life by creating interest and familiarity. But using them incorrectly wastes all these benefits. To counter this, enterprises include guidance on idioms in their enterprise style guide — allowing writers to learn when to use idioms correctly and understand the context of each expression. Want to avoid misused idioms and meet your content goals? Check out our blog to learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/4e1sSkx.