My social media posts, my writing, and working on improving my editing and proofreading.
I got a message from Facebook about my performance that said, “Try posting to reach more people. You post about 1 time a week, but 2–4 times may increase your reach.” Apparently, I am recognized for posting original content that has received strong audience engagement and meets quality standards. My content is definitely original. Maybe for Facebook’s AI, it would be better if my posts were shorter and I posted more often. Once or maybe twice a week is more than enough for me.
The topic of writing
On LinkedIn, I get sent invitations to take part in reading and commenting on their AI-generated collaborative articles. LinkedIn’s AI seems to have identified my interests to be in personal branding, communication, social media, digital marketing, content creation, and writing. That sounds about right. I have chosen, though, when I have the opportunity, to just read and comment on their articles about writing, most recently about editing and proofreading. The craft of writing is what I especially want to improve and to write about as a topic.
Social media blog
I refer to my postings on social media as a social media blog. After I started posting short texts, more frequently during the pandemic, I extended it into a longer format newsletter that overlaps with my social media posts. My posts now serve as an introduction to my writing, and I post them on my website first and then on my social media. The more I develop my newsletter or online publication and blog-based e-books, the more I will refer directly to my writing in my posts.
Becoming a writer
I have renamed my newsletter “Becoming a Writer” instead of “Newsletter John Boyter.” I also refer to it now as an online publication. On my website, I just call it “My Writing.” Please read more in my latest edition, http://eepurl.com/iRAG8c , which I sent out via email with Mailchimp. I also publish it on my website, www.johnboyter.com, where I keep an archive of recent editions, on LinkedIn as a LinkedIn newsletter, and as articles on Medium, ArticleBiz, and Twitter X. Links are below in the comment section.
Back doing my routine in Aarhus, Denmark
After almost 5 months in the Dominican Republic with just one brief trip to the United States, I am getting into my routine again of exercising around 10:00–12:00, writing between 1:00 and 6:00 often at the public library Dokk1, and then in the evening, I may read something or work on digital marketing. In the Dominican Republic, I started out following this routine in January, but when I was in Las Terrenas, it got more and more disorganized, and later and later in the day I would write. Luckily, I don’t drink alcohol anymore. The freedom I have in Las Terrenas, the space, the weather, and other temptations would make it completely impossible to be just somewhat productive with alcohol in the mix. In the evenings, I typically completed courses on LinkedIn Learning, and I started using the online learning platform Coursera.
Tools for editing and proofreading
I have been using the software ProWritingAid for over a year to help edit and correct grammar mistakes. It comes with suggestions for changes in sentence structure and I can analyze a text. It works reasonably well and gives me ideas but my proofreader kept recommending that I use the grammar checker in Google Docs. I write my material in Google Workspace using Google Docs, so I have this application available. I tried it and realized it catches more basic grammar mistakes than ProWritingAid does. Now I use both, finalizing my own proofreading in Google Docs grammar checker before I send it to the proofreader.
Proofreading
I have been working with a professional proofreader a few times now, and as my writing and content creation develop, I am considering approaching her about formalizing it more with a contract. To me, it is a perfect match. She knows the DR as she lives there as an American expat and I want to increase my audience in the US especially. She uses the Chicago Manual of Style. I am also fine with that. I just think it is important to pick a style and stick with it. I am trying to learn the manual a bit to save time and money in the proofreading process.
Meeting the proofreader
The proofreader I met during the pandemic, actually in June 2021, when I relocated from the city of Santo Domingo to the beaches in Las Terrenas, the year before in June. After I had closed the office and finished some paperwork around that. She was volunteering at the local library, and I went there to meet her. We were just going to talk about my laptop as I was trying to set it up so I could work on it offline. The internet was bad around that time. I had been told by some friends of hers that she was good at technology. As far as I remember, it was only there that I learned she was a proofreader since she had moved to the DR from the US, and she did that remotely as a freelancer. She has been very fair with pricing and very helpful with advice and encouragement. We have stayed in contact since online, but I am glad it was possible to meet her in person. I don’t think I could work with someone I hadn’t met first.
Proofreading contract
I think a possible contract with the proofreader could be with jurisdiction in the US, either where my company is based in Florida or in a state she is comfortable with. The contract should stipulate the services and fees. This may be tougher for me to comply with because she is so efficient and punctual with deadlines. I am going to have to be if I want to launch a paid newsletter/online publication later. If I can agree with her on a contract, then the part about delivery and revisions in the contract should be easy to stipulate as we already have experience working together. With my first blog-based e-book, we ended up having two revisions. I am hoping with my next e-book, that one will be enough and that it becomes the norm.
Copyright
Copyright is important, and I, as the writer, retain the ownership and responsibility of the document. Of course, she, as a proofreader, is not liable for legal issues with my content. Finally, it should be clear how we deal with termination and cancellation of the contract. She doesn’t do any editing but I suspect she does a little more than other proofreaders. Also maybe it’s because I don’t work with an editor yet. Copyright is probably more of an issue when working with an editor. I think an editor can change the content so much that it’s almost more a creation by the editor than the writer. Copyright is something I am very interested in learning more about, and it will be a topic I will write about during this process of “becoming a writer.”
Next improving editing
I don’t consider the proofreading process an enormous challenge anymore. It will save me time and money in the long run to get better at spelling and grammar. But I will always need professional proofreading at the end, anyway. Especially because I am not particularly detail-oriented. Editing, however, I need to get a lot better at. First, as much as possible, I will learn tools myself. I want to expand my vocabulary. I am trying to read more, including more novels. I read a lot of articles online and follow various newsletters/blogs. When I go to England, I hope to participate in writing groups and network with writers.
LinkedIn Learning and Coursera for online courses
On LinkedIn Learning, I listened to Editing Mastery: How to Edit Writing to Perfection, taught by Shani Raja. But I was still working slowly through his other course, Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer, and I paused it. I have the application LinkedIn Learning on standby as I have started instead using the learning platform Coursera. First, I started on an accounting course, Bookkeeping Basics by Intuit, which uses the accounting system I am using — Quickbooks Online — but I keep postponing it. I quickly finished the course Create a Professional Automated Landing Page Using Mailchimp. As I am already using the platform for my email campaigns and my website, it was easy. I started on Grammar and Punctuation under the Academic English: Writing Specialization. It seemed as technical and painful as the accounting course. I then paused that course as I thought that was not the right type of course. Now I have started on the course Creative Writing: Crafting the Plot and this I think is more accurate for me and it’s quite exciting.
“Visiting” Denmark, my company with an address in Miami, and my “Outsourcing” in Santo Domingo.
I am not sure if I was visiting the DR recently or if I am visiting Denmark now. Maybe both. I definitely felt at home and comfortable in Las Terrenas in the DR, where I still own a home. I am now in my third year of living in Denmark and it still feels like a pleasant visit. I run my online creation business for sales and marketing in a Florida company with a virtual address in Miami. My DR company I use for outsourcing, where the “outsourcing” is primarily me outsourcing to myself in the DR as I work with as much as possible myself. This way, I show on my website and in other marketing that I will be mainly physically in the Dominican Republic. My Santo Domingo business address will be my main domicile. I have, in fact, worked with a Dominican freelancer who helped with the design of my website, and I work with the American proofreader who is based in the DR. While I am in Aarhus, Denmark, I try to tap into the know-how here.
Meeting at “Pitstop/Startvaekst” at the incubator “Incuba” in Aarhus, Denmark
I recently went for the second time to something called Pitstop in Aarhus, where you can get advice on different areas of your business: legal, accounting, patent law, etc. I go there for advice on digital marketing. You sit at the table for the topic you are interested in, and then when it is your turn, you go to an office and talk to an expert. I have talked to two different experts on digital marketing. I show them my website and talk about the platforms I write on. So this time, he asked, “But what is the commercial side of this?” I was taken aback by that. “Oh, I don’t really know.” “I don’t really have that, or I haven’t cracked the code yet on how to make money blah, blah.” He went on to say, “But here, people normally come to scale up their business.” I had to admit I wasn’t at that stage yet. And actually, it’s not very likely. I do, however, have an economic interest in seeing them. I just want to develop everything around my website myself and simply save money. Learn it myself and be in control of the process.
My writing
My purpose with my writing is to be entertaining, and maybe the reader can learn something from it or be inspired. I spice up my writing with travel stories and share my insights on self-publishing and the digital marketing I use. My storytelling may serve as an inspiration for those working through depression, going through transition, or wanting to travel more. I invite you to explore this journey of personal growth and development with me.
