Apparently, once you get to know me, it’s pretty obvious that I’m an editor and proofreader by nature. It’s true. I can’t help myself. An eye for errors is as inborn as eye color.
From time to time, friends will get self-conscious about this. As far back as middle school, I had one friend wondering aloud whether I was looking disparagingly at all the spelling errors in her notes. (Remember notes? Sort of an 80s precursor to text messages.)
So I figured I would set the record straight in case anybody thinks I think less of them because they can’t spell.
Don’t Hate Me for My Typos
Sometimes friends will ask me if their mistakes or typos bother me. Like, in an e-mail that they wrote, or a Facebook post.
Do I notice your mistakes? Yes. Do I care? Not really – it’s an e-mail, not a book or other professional piece (which should be held to higher standards because their publishers, presumably, employ editors).
Would I hold mistakes against a friend? Absolutely not. I firmly believe that editing and proofreading are innate skills. Some people are good at them, and others are not. Would I hate you because you are a lousy actor, or a mediocre cook? Of course not. Same with proofreading.
Hey, Friend, Will You Proofread My Thesis for Me?
I would be delighted to proofread your resume, Dear John letter, blog entry, writing sample, etc. It makes me happy to use my talents toward making a piece of writing better. Like a cook taking pleasure in making a great meal for someone.
However, a thesis or novel is too long to edit as a favor. Sorry. Even my husband would have to pay me for that.
The Spelling Error Poem
Back in middle school, one of my friends, who knew she wasn’t a good speller, wrote an entire poem poking fun at bad spellers. In the poem, almost every word was misspelled, creating some funny rhymes along the way. It was brilliant.
Pack rat that I am, I may have even saved this poem in a box somewhere. If I ever find it, I’ll post it here to give this friend the kudos she deserves.
What About You?
Are you an editor? How do your friends and family feel about it?
What do you think about using abbreviations in text messages? I myself feel compelled to always write in the entire word and use correct punctuation, but I feel like a text dinosaur. Is it okay to abbreviate in texts? Who arbitrates this?
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to write the entire word and use correct punctuation in texts, too! I know exactly where the apostrophes and dashes are on my keypad. I do find myself abbreviation certain words, though - like "u" for "you."
ReplyDeleteText messages are a different beast IMO. I don't think they should be subject to the same rules as other text. When you have limited space, you get clever and start abbreviating. Like a code.
Whoops, that should have been *abbreviating*... can't edit comments on Blogger (darn you, Blogger!).
ReplyDelete