Ruth Fox's Blog - Posts Tagged "spelling"
Spelling
SPELLING
I’ve been asked a lot about what my advice to other writers would be.
I don’t feel like I’m qualified to be dispensing advice, given that I’ve only had one book published, but if people are going to ask, I have to come up with something to say. I’m usually pretty kind. I think all writers should read, because, as well as being enjoyable, it’s research - that way you can find out what your market is about, and what to aim for. So that’s what I tell them.
But there’s another really important thing that people should remember about writing. And it’s not just aspiring authors who need to bear this in mind.
Spelling!
I’m not saying I’m perfect, either – I make mistakes. Everyone does! And yes, English as a language is tricky. We have all kinds of stupid nonsensical rules, and then we have words for which we ignore these rules, and then we make up new words.
But what really gets to me is that people don’t care. And they should. Because the word ‘root’ doesn’t have the same meaning as the word ‘route’. But they sound the same, and the amount of times I’ve seen someone write something like ‘I was working out how to get to Melbourne by the quickest root’ is pretty appalling. It completely changes the meaning of the sentence. I mean, was this person managing to travel along underground, using tree roots to get to his destination? That sounds like a pretty cool way to get around ... but unfortunately, it’s not what the writer meant to say.
What’s even worse, though, is when people don’t know how to spell the word at all. They write ‘cabnit’ instead of ‘cabinet’.
Yes, I’m kind of a spelling Nazi. It drives my friends crazy. But I kind of find I care about language. It can be beautiful, and it can be used to express so many different things. It’s important. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing poetry or a job application. Surely you want your words to mean something. That’s what communication is all about.
I’ve been asked a lot about what my advice to other writers would be.
I don’t feel like I’m qualified to be dispensing advice, given that I’ve only had one book published, but if people are going to ask, I have to come up with something to say. I’m usually pretty kind. I think all writers should read, because, as well as being enjoyable, it’s research - that way you can find out what your market is about, and what to aim for. So that’s what I tell them.
But there’s another really important thing that people should remember about writing. And it’s not just aspiring authors who need to bear this in mind.
Spelling!
I’m not saying I’m perfect, either – I make mistakes. Everyone does! And yes, English as a language is tricky. We have all kinds of stupid nonsensical rules, and then we have words for which we ignore these rules, and then we make up new words.
But what really gets to me is that people don’t care. And they should. Because the word ‘root’ doesn’t have the same meaning as the word ‘route’. But they sound the same, and the amount of times I’ve seen someone write something like ‘I was working out how to get to Melbourne by the quickest root’ is pretty appalling. It completely changes the meaning of the sentence. I mean, was this person managing to travel along underground, using tree roots to get to his destination? That sounds like a pretty cool way to get around ... but unfortunately, it’s not what the writer meant to say.
What’s even worse, though, is when people don’t know how to spell the word at all. They write ‘cabnit’ instead of ‘cabinet’.
Yes, I’m kind of a spelling Nazi. It drives my friends crazy. But I kind of find I care about language. It can be beautiful, and it can be used to express so many different things. It’s important. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing poetry or a job application. Surely you want your words to mean something. That’s what communication is all about.
