Being Webster: Spelling and Grammar

Being Webster

Good Spelling and Grammar Attracts Buyers

You have most likely seen it on the net millions of times:  

Fanfiction and Original Content that are well written where the concept is concerned, but the grammar and spelling makes you want to run headlong into the monitor in a blind fury, while screaming profanities in the tongue of the elves.  A lot of potentially great writers often make common spelling mistakes because they DON'T know how to spell certain common words.  

It happens, but you must remember this:  As the writer, it's your responsibility to make sure that you spell-check your work constantly, as tiny mistakes like spelling words like "Baseball" incorrectly, or using improper grammar, outside of dialogue, can send the more harsh reviewers into a frenzy, in which they will TYPE IN ALL CAPS WHILE ANGRILY REVIEWING YOUR WORK, THINKING THAT ALL CAPS MAKES THEIR OPINION VALID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simple steps can be taken to ensure that you are insured against bad reviews:

KNOW THY DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS

Make Merrium-Websters Dictionary a part of your reading list, as well as any K-12 Grammar Prompters, even if you have already graduated.  I've seen too many instances where very intelligent people, whom I graduated with STILL didn't understand the basics of the English language when they were sending emails to me.  I want to say something, but I just don't have the heart, so I hope that by doing this, I can guarantee you safety against people who are jerks about this kind of thing.

STUDY, PRACTICE, BE

You have most likely heard the expression: "Practice Makes Perfect" before, and in no instance is this truer than if you are a writer.  The more you study proper usage, the more you will know, and the more you practice proper usage, the better you will be at proper usage of the English language.

More specifically: you should study the most common spelling mistakes, and the most common grammatical errors.

GOOD NOTE-TAKING SKILLS

Practicing good English usage is always a good thing, but when studying, nothing will help you practice proper usage than taking good notes while you study. Just remember this:  You will never be the best for longer than it takes for the next great writer to steal your spotlight, so keep studying to ensure that what you ARE capable of writing will help you STAY in the spotlight as long as you have still have ideas running through your head.  Complacency destroys a good writing career.