Today I stumbled upon #writingtips on Twitter. (If you don’t know about twitter hashtags, look here.) I thought, “Great! Maybe I’ll pick up something useful.” I did. Inspiration for this blog.
Here it is:
@namewitheld: Strangely enough, it is impossible to construct a sentence that illustrates the meaning of the word ‘irony.’ #writingtips
@namewitheld: And the dictionary on your shelf was not put there just for affect .#writingtips
Isn’t it ironic that @ namewitheld contemplates the futility of demonstrating irony, while his misuse of language provides us with the perfect example? It would be funny if it weren’t so sad, and such a clear illustration of what passes for “writing” today. I see mistakes like this many times a day and I wonder, “Do they just not know that they don’t know?”
Surely (don’t call me Shirley) @namewitheld knows that there are two different spellings of this word, with two different meanings (known as homophones or homonyms). If he doesn’t, perhaps he should pull that dictionary off the shelf. I don’t mean to pick on poor @namewitheld. I’m sure his intentions are good, if a bit misguided.It’s certainly not the worst mistake I’ve seen. There are people that don’t know the difference between “their,” “there,” and “they’re!” I want to help these people. I really do.
Credibility
A self-proclaimed article writing “expert” on Twitter with over 17,000 followers sent me an email and a free info product full of typos and punctuation errors. When I sent him a private tweet with a gentle suggestion that he might want to make corrections, he promptly blocked me on Twitter! The message was clear. “Shut up! I don’t care.” And 17,000 people are looking to this guy for advice.
I care, and I think most of you care. The internet has made everyone with access to free-blogging a writer. It just hasn’t made everyone a good writer. If you are putting content on the internet or creating dead-tree collateral, you want your message to:
Mr. Article Writing Expert and @namewitheld destroyed their credibility because of simple writing errors that could have been easily avoided. I checked @namewitheld’s website (not writing related, so I’m not sure why he was posting on #writingtips), and the mistakes just kept coming. The site is tech-related and may contain the best tech tips on the internet, but I won’t be reading them. My loss? Maybe. His loss? Certainly. You cannot view Mr. Article Writer’s website without giving him your email address first, so I passed.
Strive to Improve Your Writing
Good writers work at it and they always revise, re-write,and proofread carefully. Using SpellCheck is not a replacement for this process and there are many errors, like the example above, that SpellCheck just won’t catch. If you care about writing with credibility and clarity, turn off SpellCheck and start sharing your work and asking for feedback. Be ruthless. Keep your ego out of it. Seek out resources (you could start with the resource list on this blog) and LEARN.
If you think that spelling, grammar and punctuation don’t matter or that no one really cares about those things, think again. In this age of mass communication, THE WRITING MATTERS! It matters more than anything else. Great ideas not communicated clearly aren’t really great ideas anymore. Clever design will not move a reader to take action. They may admire the artwork, but unless they are looking to hire an artist, they won’t follow through. You can’t project professionalism and value with bad writing. (Please, no flames on the importance of design. I agree!)
My Pledge to Help You Become a Better Writer
With the creation of BeABetterWriterNow.com I pledge to post useful tips, links and strategies to help you improve your writing. I’ll help you set goals and achieve them. I will continually strive to be a better writer myself, for good writers never stop learning. The focus will primarily be on B2B communications, but I may take some side trips into B2C, direct response and even fiction. Whether you are writing content for yourself, a client or an employer, I hope to serve you. Let me know what you are interested in by emailing me at betterwriters@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter and send me a message.
Don’t Put It Off Another Day
Start working on your writing today. It’s not as hard as you may think. Let’s do it together and have some fun!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh yes! How I hate to see a website that is full of spelling and grammatical errors! Even more so on professional websites. For personal websites intended, say, only for family and friends, one can almost forgive small errors. But on business sites, they’re unforgivable.
The lack of care is what surprises me most of all. “It doesn’t matter if my spelling and grammar isn’t perfect, this is the internet,” is what I often hear from people. I think they fail to see the importance of correct language usage.
Looking forward to seeing this blog grow.
Matt
Thanks for your post, Matt. I just have to shake my head when I hear the “this is the internet” line. Oy. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
Mary (Yelwrose)
I have a confession: English is my second language. German and Swiss German are my first and I did not learn English until I moved to the USA at age 12. When I was in school, homonyms were a particular struggle for me but I was determined to master this language. Today, reading “affect” where “effect” should be used, is a sure way for me to cringe and slam my coffee down. Yet I try to stay humble because I certainly still make plenty of mistakes. My most common error is writing “its” instead of “it’s” and it is usually due to being in a rush and not proofreading thoroughly. I’ve been lucky to have worked with fantastic colleagues in a collaborative environment where editing, writing and proofreading were done in a constructive way.
I was browsing and came across your blog while searching for writers with whom I might tweet (why does that make feel as if I should be singing?). Couldn’t have said it better though I admit to having preached this often. I am going to bookmark you on my blog as good places to go (you’ll see it there within 24 hours).
Writing does matter. Good writing matters even more.
I believe there are lots of hacks and hopefully words like yours will rise to the top for those who know what they seek. I believe every writer needs constant reminders lest we stumble over bad habits or shortcuts. I consider you one of available “walking sticks” for hiking along the inky highway. Thanks.
Wow. Thank you. It is very encouraging when people like you take the time to comment. I’d be very interested on your feedback on my new post on revising and editing, which should be up by tomorrow. I appreciate the link and look forward to reading your blog. See you on the inky highway!