You’re judged by your spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
In their Facebook posts one week, several authors took issue with people they called grammar-shamers. They wanted to be judged by their online substance, not their delivery.
They missed the point.
If an error — of any kind — distracts a reader from your message, then you’ve failed to communicate clearly. Authors are judged by their written words. Once you put out your shingle as a … Continue reading
Don’t tune out others’ critiques.
For decades, I attended writers conferences and reviewed people’s writing. Only once did I ever find a story without places I thought the writer could improve.
Fortunately, I offered these critiques in a teaching environment. In theory, people had come to learn how to make their writing better.
But human nature also played a part. What they hoped to … Continue reading
No one’s an expert at everything.
This past Saturday, while working on a home improvement project, I faced a choice: I could risk injury—or I could ask my wife’s help.
I needed to trim several inches from the end of an eight-foot board. My table saw was ready. But without a third hand, I couldn’t support the board to make the cut.
I could have tried to jury-rig some kind of … Continue reading