I’m working on getting a German version of my site up and running since I am now living there/here. It’s coming along—slowly, but it’s still getting there.
I got a new domain for the editing site. It’s pretty nice—nice and simple: www.editing.bz.
Now, I’m just working on getting as many links pointed to it as I can. I was finally getting good search engine results, but it’s pretty much back to zero now. I think that having that URL will be worth it though.
My first repeat client, and also my first book, or, more precisely, future book. I’m editing a book on migration. It’s a really good feeling to get some positive feedback on the work I’m doing, especially when it’s in the form of repeat business.
I also did a little more work on my editing and proofreading site, including expanding the English Writing Tips section. I’m trying to put together some resources I think might be useful to people writing papers in English, particularly when it’s not their first language. To that end, I made a page of spelling differences between British and American English, one for different word uses in British and American English, a list of negative, prefixed words that do not become positive by dropping the prefix (I find them kind of interesting, so that one may have been for my benefit), and started to make a list of English homophones. I haven’t gotten too far with that last one, but it’ll get done eventually.
It’s nice to be busy.
Things are going pretty good with the editing and proofreading service I started a few months ago. I’ve had a few clients now, including a PhD professor. I was a little intimidated at first since it would be the first time I did work for someone with more schooling than myself, but it went really well. He was really happy with the finished product and told me he was working on two more papers. It’s really nice to get some appreciation for the work.
In addition to some confidence and money, editing also provides me with some insights to writing. The number of times I stop working and think about why we do something the way we do is innumerable already. These two activities—writing and editing—complement each other so well.
I completely redid my editing and proofreading service site. It looks much better. I know that’s of very little importance to anybody except me, but I’m pretty proud of it. It was really such a mess before. I’m surprised it worked as well as it did.
This work seems to teach me as much about CSS and images as it does comma splices and infinitives. I still plan on translating it into a couple of languages, since foreign students writing papers in English are my target customers, beginning with German.
I have to get my own domain name soon. I think that one thing does as much to make a site look polished and professional as a handful of other elements.
It has been a long time since I’ve written anything on here. It seems like forever, but I see that it has only been since March, which, while a long time, is rather finite.
I’ve been doing work that involves writing, and that feels good. I have read through and edited hundreds and hundreds of pages of other people’s theses for my editing and proofreading service. It really is amazing how much insight into the language one gets by simply correcting little grammar and word-use issues. A lot of it is fast, almost automatic, but some of it takes a great deal of thought. I have sat and stared at some sentences for—I don’t know how long—a long time. It forces me to think about some of the ways that we unconsciously construct sentences and why they are either the correct way or, at the very least, the better sounding way.
I’ve dealt with the darkside of grammar issues like misplaced modifiers and now fully understand every high school English teacher’s crusade against them. They can really make a mess of a sentence, especially in ones that wrap themselves around the page a few times, going on and on, with clause after clause separated by endless commas, begging someone to just drop a period in them somewhere, but it never seems to happen.
It really has helped me gain some insights into why we make certain choices in writing. For that, I am glad I’m doing it.
So, a couple of things have happened lately. I made myself available to people to use for editing and proofreading and am already getting signs of interest. It’s mostly targeted towards non-native English speakers. Anyway, I got a site up with some information about it. The address is www.editing.bz.
Also, on the job topic, I found a little something writing content for a web development company. It’s writing and it pays, so that makes me happy.
Sure, it’s off-topic, but it’s something very important to me. I cannot stand how often my local NBC affiliate subjects me to episodes of Friends. I didn’t hate the show. I mean, it has its problems, not the least of which is some terrible, unrealistic writing. Seriously, do grown men act like the three on the show? Try watching the show and ask yourself that. Even Joey, who is supposed to be more manly, gets way too involved in everyones’ lives. Excited over one of the girls’ latests dates, cooing over some gift or something—it’s really bad. Six friends, three beautiful women, and three really ugly women.
Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that the show is on entirely too much, every evening after the news, weekends after regular programming . . . It’s the all-Friends channel. So, fed up the other day, I wrote the station.
From: form_submission@barringtontv.com [mailto:form_submission@barringtontv.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:37 PM
To: kparker@wluctv6.com; cabbotts@wluctv6.com
Subject: WLUC contact us submission – ProgrammingMessage:
Please stop the Friends overload. We can’t take it anymore. Yes, Friends was a very popular show—was. But even when it was, it wasn’t on every day. How many times a week is that show on—10? Get some different shows. If you absolutely must play it, keep it to once or twice a week. We can’t take it anymore. Years of over-exposure has made us want to gouge our eyes out and stuff them in our ears whenever it comes on, but instead we jump and dive for the remote control to hear as few notes of the grating theme song as possible. So, really, it costs you some viewers. Everyone I know would rather watch a test pattern for a half-hour than watch another Friends episode. We’d sit through commercial breaks to watch the test pattern some more. And not just the newer ones that make the beeps and honks, the old one with the brain-piercing tone.
Please, please reduce the Friends.
For some reason, my message wasn’t immediately taken to heart and put into action. Instead, I got this back:
Rafe,
Friends is still the highest rated syndicated program available in this market. Quarterly Nielsen surveys prove it. People like the show. However, if the ratings do start to drop we will certainly look at alternatives. Thanks for your comments.
Kim Parker
WLUC Marketing Director
So, now it is my mission to convince them that there are other shows out there. There is no reason to play one show into the ground until the ratings drop off. I just don’t understand.
Still Scribblings 
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