The University of Alabama

Associate Professor

The Long Schoolroom

Founder

Malone University

Associate Professor, Director of Creative Writing

I direct the Program in Creative Writing at the University of Alabama, and am founder of The Long Schoolroom, a learning community devoted to creative exploration and personal development. 

I am author of several books and a certified holistic arts coach with over 30 years of experience guiding others to write well, think deeply, and enact spirited transformation in their lives and work. 

Everything is invention and revision.  

You might not read poetry (I won't judge!), but we all need the poetic (a word which in Greek simply means “making”): beauty, connection, inspiration, wit. 

I team with high-performing creators, founders, leaders, and groups to spur them to new levels of clarity and direction, to workshop ideas and innovations, to integrate the personal with the professional. 

Wonder is at the heart of all artistic enterprises—and everything is an art!—so let’s court more of it in all we do. The imagination is our highest faculty, and dreams are the heart of reality. 

Let me know if I can help.

John Estes⚕

Matt Thomas 🥁

Writing4Robots

Perfect Prose Writing & Editing

📌 I’ve been a professional writer so long that when I started my business, the iPad hadn’t been invented yet…


For the past 14 years, I’ve been a self-employed consultant across multiple industries. 

My biggest strength as a writer/editor is my ability to ask the right questions to capture your story and expertise, then deliver it in a way that speaks to your audience. 

Here’s a quick list of some of the things I can help you with: 

• Copywriting for your website, business, product, or LinkedIn bio
• Technical Writing / Documentation 
• Comprehensive review of your website and feedback on your site copy, any errors, and usability/navigation/user experience feedback
• Professional Editing (Structural, Stylistic, Technical) and Proofreading
• Writing Courses / Training material

Owner

ATCO Group

• Worked with ATCO SMEs to develop Salesforce Trailhead modules and training content for ATCO’s Home Happiness Advisors 
• Organized 160 units into modules and prioritized them, based on impact to advisors
• Updated older ATCO documentation to align with new processes and procedures in Salesforce
• Collaborated with key stakeholders to develop training plan and prioritize training content development

Salesforce Training Content Developer

Parkland Corporation

• QA Lead/Technical Writer/Editor, for the National Learning & Development team at Parkland Fuel Corporation 
• Worked with SMEs to develop eLearning courses, reference documentation, and training materials/programs 
• Performed QA review/editing for all work produced by a 10-person team
• Reviewed all eLearning courses and provided writers and eLearning developers with feedback/changes to be made
• Reviewed and revised course exam questions and knowledge checks 
• Ensured that all material developed and released to the organization by our team aligned with all internal standards and had a consistent ‘voice’ 
• Designed instructional methods and activities for Parkland’s internal training programs and courses 
• Developed training, courses, and provided QA support to other departments and projects, as required

QA Lead/Technical Writer, National Learning & Development

ENMAX

• Technical writer on Phase 1 of ENMAX Power Corporation’s Outage Management System (OMS) project
• Developed all software documentation and reference materials for the implementation of General Electric's ALSTOM e-Terra Outage Management System (software used to manage all electrical distribution and system outages for the whole city of Calgary)
• Worked with subject matter and technical experts to capture and document system operator processes and procedures
• Created iOS software documentation for CLEVEST Workbook (mobile workforce management iPad application)
• Developed training questions, exercises and answer keys
• Managed document control, distribution, and revisions for all OMS documentation

Technical Writer, Outage Management System Implementation, Phase 1

Jiva Consulting

📌 A job I didn’t want to take led to opportunities I never imagined…

• Developed internal eLearning courses for TransCanada Pipelines from an initial outline to finished courses working closely with subject matter and technical experts 
• Performed QA reviews and revisions to a number of TransCanada online courses 
• Developed and implemented consistent templates and standards for formatting and style of TransCanada documents

Technical Writer/QA Reviewer

Sanjel Energy Services

📌 At Sanjel, I transformed chaos into clarity.

When I joined this oilfield services company, their documentation was in disarray. 

They lacked any:
* Templates
* Folder structure
* Document control/revision processes
* Idea where to start!

My boss, the VP of HSEQ, helped me understand the business’s challenges and needs. 

Then he let me find, develop, and implement the best solution. 

And that’s what I did over the next 2 years. 

Key Achievements:
* Transformed one bulky manual into 36 easy-to-update HSE Practice (HSEP) documents
* Developed templates for all corporate documentation (HSEPs, Corporate Standards, Work Instructions, SOPs)
* Edited and standardized all Sanjel technical documentation, including ERPs, corporate standards, training 
* Provided documentation support to multiple departments and Sanjel subsidiaries

Core Skills:
* Simplify complex info
* Present information in a clear, visually appealing way
* Document processes clearly 

I use all these skills daily creating content and advising others on theirs.

Technical Writer/Editor, Corporate Health & Safety

Cenovus Energy

📌 Get in, get paid, get out…

A short term contract with Cenovus Energy developing project management software training.

Hit the ground running, worked a bunch of hours, and made good money fast, but…

Realized I hated working 12-hour days alone in a depressing, windowless office.

Next, please...

Training Content Developer

📌 ENMAX liked me so much, they hired me twice! 

In my first contract with ENMAX Energy, I:
* Created desktop guides and work instruction for training employees
* Aligned older documents with new ENMAX standards and templates
* Interviewed SMEs and engineers to develop and update business documentation 
* Tracked documents through the development and revision process, updated key stakeholders

6 years later, I’d return to ENMAX in a totally different role.

Technical Writer/Editor

Calgary Zoo

📌 3 species, 4 months, 1 unforgettable gig at the Calgary Zoo.

I was hired to develop a comprehensive set of animal care protocols for three species:
* Lions 🦁 
* Tigers 🐯
* Gorillas 🦍

In this role, I: 
* Interviewed zoo director and senior staff to identify and define documentation requirements
* Shadowed zookeepers and managers to capture and document all animal care procedures
* Created detailed care protocols with visuals and checklists
* Documented safety rules per zoo and provincial standards
* Implemented a document management process to manage updates, document control and revision history

This was my first opportunity to manage an entire project solo and it's still one of my favourite contracts I've had. 😊

Technical Writer, Animal Care Protocols

Lock in your 30% pre-sale discount off my Ultimate ChatGPT Prompting Guide.

ChatGPT was supposed to save you hours a day. 

Instead, you’re wasting more time than ever. 

Because AI hasn’t simplified your workflow – it’s become another task to manage.

One that 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 more time than it saves.

* Every prompt feels like a shot in the dark. 🤷‍♂️
* You spend countless hours diving down the prompting rabbit hole. 🕳️
* No matter what you try, GPT’s output never matches your expectations. 🤨

The most frustrating part? 

You don’t even 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 what you’re doing wrong! 🤦‍♂️


But it’s not just all that wasted time and effort. 

Or feeling like you’re falling further behind every day. 

It's about the gap between what AI 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be and what it currently 𝘪𝘴 in your workflow. 

You know there are better ways to harness ChatGPT’s power. 📈

But you’re still struggling with the basics.

____

And it’s not your fault. 

Because prompting is 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥! 😮‍💨

It’s a delicate balance between multiple competing factors:
* Precision 📐 vs flexibility 🤸‍♀️   
* User intent 💬 vs AI's interpretation 🤖
* Focusing a model’s responses 🔒 vs limiting its creative potential 🎨

Without understanding these nuances, prompting is like trying to fake your way through a conversation in a foreign language. 

If you don’t know the rules, any success is just random luck. 🎲

____

To truly level up your AI skills, you need: 
* A mindset shift. 🧠
* Clear, actionable strategy that cuts through the noise. 🎯
* To understand the core concepts that help you unlock AI’s creative power. 🦾

You don’t need another AI “guru.”
You need a 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦. 

And that’s where I come in…

My unfair advantage?  

12 years’ experience as a technical writer creating everything from software documentation to eLearning courses. 

Over a decade of translating technology to people, simplifying complexity, and distilling abstract concepts into concrete, actionable advice. 💡

____

Writing4Robots: ChatGPT instructional manual

A deep dive into Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT that covers:
* LLM, prompting, and prompt engineering basics.
* Ways to leverage an LLM’s inherent biases.
* The most effective prompt structures.
* The perfect analogy for guiding ChatGPT.
* A mindset shift to transform your LLM interactions.
* Practical ways to prompt better, faster. 
* Custom prompts across 6 categories (LI, Writing, Editing, Ideation, Productivity, Prompting).


Are you ready for AI to 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 deliver on its promises? 

👇

writing4robots.ai

I’m Matt Thomas, owner of Perfect Prose Writing & Editing. Nice to meet you! 

For the past 12 years, I’ve worked as a self-employed consultant across multiple industries for some great companies. 

My biggest strength as a writer/editor is my ability to ask the right questions to capture your story and expertise, then deliver it in a way that speaks to your audience. 

Here’s a quick list of some of the things I can help you with: 

• Copywriting for your website, business, product, or LinkedIn bio
• Technical Writing / Documentation 
• Comprehensive review of your website and feedback on your site copy, any errors, and usability/navigation/user experience feedback
• Professional Editing (Structural, Stylistic, Technical) and Proofreading
• Writing Courses / Training material

taplio

The Battle

John Estes⚕

Matt Thomas 🥁

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