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Back To Err is Human—to Rewrite is Divine by Rose DesRochers Too much emphasis is put on the structure, grammar, and spelling in writing. People need to look past all the mechanics of writing. They need to look at the heart that the author has put into the work. There are a number of writers who are too quick to critique another writer's work, criticism that is based solely on bad formatting, bad punctuation, or spelling mistakes. If only these writers would learn to look past the mechanics. We have proofreaders and editors nowadays and I am one writer who has begun to use a proofreader. Never underestimate the power of your own writing, based on the fact that you may not have a strong grasp of spelling and punctuation. I do not perceive myself as a bad writer. Writing is a process; it takes time to learn and only through more writing will you grow in the craft. As you gain more experience in writing, you will begin to notice your own mistakes. Becoming a better writer doesn't happen over night. Being a bad speller doesn't mean that you can't write, despite what some people might have told you. It is believed that Shakespeare couldn't spell and that F. Scott Fitzgerald couldn't spell or punctuate grammatically correct sentences. There are a great number of my own articles that have started out not-so-good, and rather than leave my errors, I refine the article until it’s better. This alone makes me a good writer. But I have noticed that a number of writing workshops are full of writers who are nothing more than wannabe editors. Never underestimate the wannabe editor: he'll hit you over the head with his dictionary. The wannabe editor wants nothing more than to see you fail as a writer. By belittling you, he is discouraging you from writing. No one wants to be belittled, and it doesn't make you feel good about your writing when you are belittled. A professional editor is there to help you improve your writing. An editor encourages and supports you throughout your writing process. In short, an editor helps you make your writing all that you dreamed it to be. As James Michener once said, Author's Biography: Posted on: November 18,2005 Email: Website: http://www.todays-woman.net |
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