Curling Clubs Editing and Proofreading Services

Somebody watched the winter games, decided to try it, and is standing in a car park in October wondering whether to go in. They do not know what to wear, whether they need to bring anything, what will happen for the two hours, whether everyone else has been doing it since 1987, or how much it will cost if they like it. The club has a sign saying "New members welcome".

We edit what curling clubs produce — new member and learn-to-curl information, membership categories and fee structures, league and draw information, bonspiel and competition documents, ice and facility notices, volunteer and committee documentation, sponsorship and grant applications, and the communications that keep a small membership informed. Our editors work on the writing that gets somebody through the door once.

The new member information is the document that decides whether a club grows or ages, and its failure is a welcome that assumes the reader already belongs. Everything obvious to a member is invisible to a beginner. We work through these so the first session is described minute by minute — where to park, which door, who to ask for, what happens in the first ten minutes, when they will first throw a stone — since the fear is not the sport but of being lost and conspicuous; so the clothing question is answered concretely, with what to wear, what not to wear and what the club lends, because this is the single most common reason people do not come; so the physical reality is described honestly, including the sliding, the kneeling and the fact that people fall over and it is fine, given that a beginner is quietly worried about being the only one who cannot do it; so the etiquette that members do not notice is explained — when to be quiet, where to stand, what to do with the broom; so the money is set out as a path rather than a table: what the taster costs, what six weeks costs, what a full membership costs and when they would need to decide; so the social side is described accurately, since half the reason people join is what happens afterwards and clubs are shy about saying so; so the age and fitness range in the club is stated plainly; and so the note names a person to ask for. Information written this way fills a learn-to-curl programme.

Everything you send is treated in confidence, including membership material, club documents and correspondence. We are editors rather than coaches or club officials, and we offer no view on coaching, ice or club practice. What we can do is write for the person standing in the car park.