Mind your spelling

jaksen · Mar 26, 2011

I've got to say it because it's driving me crazy. I am in awe of the writers on AW. I love reading the posts and the samples in SYW are amazing, however...

I find in post after post on the forums frequent misspellings. Hey, we all do it. We type fast; we don't proofread or when we do, things read okay, so we hit post and move on. I am NO spelling Nazi here; I even submitted a ms. with a major spelling error that made it into publication. (A reading teacher friend pointed it out to me. Yikes.)

But I often see on the forums misspellings that are not just a typo. The same word appears several times in the post, misspelled the same way. I see issues with the words 'illicit and elicit,' for example, and some posters have problems with plural and possessive nouns.

Anyhow, if these errors carry over to a writer's queries, that's enough to stop an agent or slush reader in their tracks. Okay, one little error? No biggie, but multiple errors? Big biggies. The same for manuscripts.

I'd just urge everyone to use spell check or at the very least, re-read what they've written just once. I know these are 'just' the forums, but if I see someone consistently misspell separate (seperate?) or the word 'character' containing extra letters in every post, I start to wonder how much of this is also in the short story or novel sample that writer is sending out.

I want us all to be successful, to sell something, or many somethings.

End of rant...

Maryn · Mar 26, 2011

I'm sure I make my share of mistakes, but I'm of the opinion that anywhere my writing appears is my shop window, so I take pains to proofread. The eye sees what ought to be there, not what is, of course, but still, to me it's worth the effort to try for error-free posts.

Not everyone shares that opinion, here or at other sites. (I know: How dare they have different opinions than my own?)

Maryn, confuzzled

RobJ · Mar 26, 2011

I don't generally worry about typos or other errors in discussion posts. If I spot one in mine I'll usually correct it. But to me, forum posts for general discussion and forum posts for critique are two different things and different standards apply.

quicklime · Mar 26, 2011

with Rob again....I understand a manuscript or query should really have everything correct, and I do plenty of postings here where I submit, see something, go "oh, fuck", and go back and fix it, but I cam also say there is no way in hell I'm gonna spell-check, or make sure every contraction has an apostrophe instead of a quotation mark; this is a board, most of my stuff is quick posts and fragmented opinions, not a thesis.....

AmsterdamAssassin · Mar 26, 2011

I agree with Jaksen - if someone confuses illicit and elicit, I tend to think their writing might be sub-standard as well. Perhaps not really fair, but as writers we owe it to ourselves not to mess up our texts, whether they be forum posts or letters or e-mails or manuscripts. A careless attitude towards words reflects badly on the writer, like a surgeon who cuts himself when carving a turkey. As a writer, you simply cannot allow yourself to be nonchalant in your writing. Mistakes can be forgiven, but illiteracy...

quicklime · Mar 26, 2011

conceptually, I agree that there is a risk you will be judged for behavior outside your work, and to claim otherwise is a bit foolish.

I don't sub my work as Quicklime, and my play time is play time, so I'll write as I choose. I enjoy the time I spend here, and would considerably less so if forced to type with a stick in my backside as I did so, so my novels and shorts are "work time", this is "play time", and I'm perfectly willing to take that risk.

At the same time, people should at least be aware it is a (slight, but there) risk they are taking.

gothicangel · Mar 26, 2011

Maybe if someone repeats the mistake, then it's something in the vocabulary. I know there are some words I have to think about before writing [there/where/its] and there is a reason I have a dictionary on my desk [obsession/necessary.] Then there are the times I don't even realise I have mispelt until I do a a spellcheck [plagiarism.]

No-one's perfect.

RobJ · Mar 26, 2011

AmsterdamAssassin said:
Perhaps not really fair, but as writers we owe it to ourselves not to mess up our texts, whether they be forum posts or letters or e-mails or manuscripts. A careless attitude towards words reflects badly on the writer, like a surgeon who cuts himself when carving a turkey. As a writer, you simply cannot allow yourself to be nonchalant in your writing.

AmsterdamAssassin said:
It's difficult being surround by dunces...

Oops-a-daisy

AmsterdamAssassin said:
I approach writing like learning how to play an instrument - you have to do it to become profiscient

Oops-a-daisy

maestrowork · Mar 26, 2011

If someone doesn't understand the difference between "illicit" and "elicit," they're not going to catch that by proofreading. Otherwise, I don't mind the occasional typos, etc. in forums. I have them all the time. I type fast and often post in a rapid-fire way. When I post, I write what I want to say and hit send. I don't usually want to reread everything... I have other things to do.

However, when I reread my posts and notice typos, I tend to try to fix them. Not all the time, but I'll try.

dpaterso · Mar 26, 2011

I think it's a reasonable point to make, tho' it's a personal choice, obviously.

Firefox's inbuilt spellchecker underlines typos in red, which is nice, so it usually catches whatever my reading eye misses.

-Derek

PinkAmy · Mar 26, 2011

I don't care if I make mistakes when typing posts or emails-- it's hard to type as fast as I think sometimes

. Sending out professional matter is different, obviously.

scarletpeaches · Mar 26, 2011

Everyone posts typos now and again, but I will never understand the casual, "Meh, it's only a forum," attitude of so many members. If you don't care about how you present your writing and therefore how you represent yourself, then call me a snob, but I'll judge you accordingly. And I will more than likely choose not to read any of your published works, if you have any. I'll assume this slapdash attitude carries over into your 'professional' life. You don't learn how to do something well by doing it badly on AW.

maestrowork · Mar 26, 2011

I don't really care if you judge me, to be honest. I'll let the content of my posts speak for itself. If you think I'm a lousy writer because of my typos on a forum, then really, I don't give a damn. I'll let my "professional" work speak for itself as well.

For me, a forum like this is a place to chill, to socialize, to play, to network with other writers. I'm not going to sweat over what word choice I'm going to use, if I'm pitch perfect, or if someone is going to judge me because I typed "kitteh" instead of "kitten."

quicklime · Mar 26, 2011

scarletpeaches said:
Everyone posts typos now and again, but I will never understand the casual, "Meh, it's only a forum," attitude of so many members. If you don't care about how you present your writing and therefore how you represent yourself, then call me a snob, but I'll judge you accordingly. And I will more than likely choose not to read any of your published works, if you have any. I'll assume this slapdash attitude carries over into your 'professional' life. You don't learn how to do something well by doing it badly on AW.

i'll let you know when mine has a final title so you know what to avoid :tongue

dpaterso · Mar 26, 2011

I judge writers by their stories, not their typos. But I do judge them.

-Derek

maestrowork · Mar 26, 2011

Even if you don't have typos, I still judge you, derek.

scarletpeaches · Mar 26, 2011

Please note I did say everyone posts typos now and again. I'm not referring to any "Whoops, silly mistakes," but to a lazy attitude regarding writing.

Purple Rose · Mar 26, 2011

AmsterdamAssassin said:
I agree with Jaksen - if someone confuses illicit and elicit, I tend to think their writing might be sub-standard as well. Perhaps not really fair, but as writers we owe it to ourselves not to mess up our texts, whether they be forum posts or letters or e-mails or manuscripts. A careless attitude towards words reflects badly on the writer, like a surgeon who cuts himself when carving a turkey. As a writer, you simply cannot allow yourself to be nonchalant in your writing. Mistakes can be forgiven, but illiteracy...

Dutch Killer, I agree with most of this. I'm guilty too but like RobJ, I'm more lax on forums. Speed vs quality. Not a big deal to me.

I'm not sure how other non-Amercans feel but for me, after decades of British English and in recent years my daily diet of bbc.com and ft.com, American spelling is very painful to read. I find some vowels like "u" in "colour" and "neighbour" and "a" in "leukaemia" and "anaemia" make those words more full, more poetic to read. Also the double "l" as in "travelled".

Minding my spelling with with my setting set to "U.S." is done manually when needed so remebering to reset the UK default is critical.

Great post Jaksen!

Jamesaritchie · Mar 26, 2011

I don't mind typos, though I think every possible browser now has a spellcheck feature. Incorrect word usage is something else. I really hate seeing "alot" used so frequently. Lack of capital letters and lousy punctuation tell me this is a writer who doesn't take it seriously, but, eh, that's his problem.

quicklime · Mar 26, 2011

scarletpeaches said:
Please note I did say everyone posts typos now and again. I'm not referring to any "Whoops, silly mistakes," but to a lazy attitude regarding writing.

I know.

And I think this is a great thread, so hopefully the second it hits likewarm, let alone a bit heated, it doesn't get locked.

For newbies, they can see some people WILL judge you. How many? hard to say. Just something to consider; for me and my reasons, I'm happy to be more lax, but there ARE people here who will consider it. If that's an issue, deal with it and fix your stuff. If not, you make your bed. Just don't try to pretend nobody cares, obviously some do, some deeply, even. Impressions count.

juniper · Mar 26, 2011

pLeaSe, jUst NoT tHIs! :Hammer:

I see this in other places sometimes and can't imagine who thinks it's cool.

scarletpeaches · Mar 26, 2011

If one is less strict about spelling and grammar on a public forum, then...so be it. It's their own problem.

I just see them as making it more difficult to make the switch from that, to professional, once they start emailing or writing to agents and editors. Why make the transition a bigger deal than it has to be? It'll be a lot smoother if you're already in the habit of polishing your writing as much as you can before making it public.

Not alot.

AmsterdamAssassin · Mar 26, 2011

RobJ said:
Oops-a-daisy
Oops-a-daisy

Well, hurrah, you found some of my typos. Bravo.

I'm fallible, I concede to that.

But I try to limit my mistakes, I don't gloss over them under the pretense that they're 'just forum posts, unworthy of careful consideration'.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 26, 2011

jaksen said:
I'd just urge everyone to use spell check or at the very least, re-read what they've written just once.

Scrue ewe.

Perks · Mar 26, 2011

I don't know what the setting is for VBulletin's window of opportunity to correct or amend a post, but I do know it serves to make me hate myself frequently here at AW.

It's a personal choice, for sure, but my words and their order (or disorder) run up my heels and bite me in the ass more than I like. I try to be careful, because I think it's important. Sometimes I succeed.

Mind your spelling

Caped Codder

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