• Home
    • About Us
  • Services
  • Portfolio
    • Ghostwriting
    • Editing
    • Critiques
    • Formatting
    • My Byline
    • Testimonials
  • Free Reads
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
HEN HOUSE PUBLISHING
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Services
  • Portfolio
    • Ghostwriting
    • Editing
    • Critiques
    • Formatting
    • My Byline
    • Testimonials
  • Free Reads
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact

Hens Lay Eggs

food for thought

English grammar 101 for professionals

3/28/2016

 
I've been publishing a weekly blog on LinkedIn for the usual reasons any freelancer posts a regular blog. The articles basically comprise basic grammar lessons for all those professionals who have forgotten the lessons they learned in grade school.

Grammatically correct writing is a matter of professionalism. I find myself frequently puzzled and surprised by the genuinely awful writing coming from those who pride themselves on their professionalism and communication abilities.

I suppose language is like mathematics: either you get it or you don't. Mathematics was never my language. I can analyze and interpret statistics, but I certainly can't calculate them.

I still wonder, though, why people, especially those who are white collar professionals with high corporate status, are satisfied with poorly written content. This goes beyond the occasional typographical error into consistent misuse of apostrophes, improper capitalization, confusion as to using who and whom, and so forth--all those little things I consider basics.

Good writing distinguishes the professional from the amateur, especially for authors. The sheer prevalence of poor writing and poor grammar of indie books reveals the following:
  1. Too many authors don't understand good writing; i.e., they fail to master the craft.
  2. Too many authors fail to edit their books before they publish.
  3. Too many readers don't understand the value of good writing.
Poor execution dooms an interesting premise. Last summer I read an article about a wildly successful (read: financially profitable) "monster porn" author, who releases a new novella on more or less a monthly basis. I wondered what all the hype was about and downloaded a couple of that author's works. Egad. I couldn't finish them, not because of objectionable content, but because the writing and editing were so poor.

If that's what gets the big bucks, then the expectations of modern readers are pathetically low.

So, if good writing distinguishes the professional from the amateur, then what distinguishes success from failure? Revenue. 

For any businessmen or businesswomen out there reading this: Does your business produce any written content that goes to potential investors or customers or to the public at large? If your business produces proposals, manuals, press releases, blog articles, newsletters, or other materials that are seen by anyone outside the walls of your own office, then it's best to have a fresh set of eyes connected to a professional skill set to review and edit and maybe even write those documents.

​You do want to come across as professional, right?

I can help.

Every word counts.

Comments are closed.

    Share!

    Picture

    Author

    Hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, and sunny side up: eggs are the musings of Holly Bargo, the pseudonym for the author.

    Follow
    Karen (Holly)

    Blog Swaps
    View Guest Author Posts
    Looking for a place to swap blogs? Holly Bargo at Hen House Publishing is happy to reciprocate Blog Swaps in 2019.
    For more information: 
    Email Us

    Get Your Copy of
    Hen House Publishing Blog via Email:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    Categories

    All
    Books By Holly Bargo
    Egg Reviews
    Events
    Guest Author
    Interviews
    Mfrw
    Mfrwauthor
    #MFRWHooks
    Reviews
    #SpringfieldOHBookFair
    Status
    #WinterBookFair

    Share

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

HOME | ABOUT US | SERVICES | PORTFOLIO | TESTIMONIALS | BOOK CATALOG | FREE READS | BLOG | EVENTS | CONTACT
Copyright © 2015 - 2023
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Services
  • Portfolio
    • Ghostwriting
    • Editing
    • Critiques
    • Formatting
    • My Byline
    • Testimonials
  • Free Reads
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact