Looky here. My good friend, Lawery James, is just so dag-gone nicey nice, that he wants to encourage anybody that can poke their fingers at the key board to be able to send their stories in here. So if you can't spell, and you can't punctuate; If you think a sentence is something your Uncle Marvin got for stealing a car, and your grammar was unhappy about it. If you think a paragraph is one shy of a threeagraph -- heck bring it on.

But I'm gonna tell you what... the better you do those things, the better your story is gonna be.

There is just not much excuse for horrendous spelling anymore, except that the author is too lazy to run a spell check on the document. (The ability to electronically check my spelling was what prompted me to by my first computer -- 20 years ago!) With the exception of Windows Word Pad, even the most elemental word processing program has a spelling checker. Find it and use it. I think many email programs have a spell-check. If nothing else, here's the address of an internet spelling checker:

SpellCheck.net

And for pity sake, do not use chat room or text messaging shortcuts for legitimate words, kwim?

If you use a word processor like Microsoft Word, it may have a grammar checker as well.

Punctuate as best you can, and use upper case letters where appropriate. The only reason for not using upper case letters is being too lazy to push down the shift key.

If you're going to publish your story here, separate the paragraphs with two carriage returns (push the "enter" key twice). Tabs won't work.

Here's the bottom line. There's no reason to post anything on here, except to have someone else read it. So you're really not writing it for yourself, you're writing it for someone else. And let's face is, there really are some established rules for constructing words and sentences, and the closer you come to playing by those rules the more readable and enjoyable your story will be.

You owe it to your readers to give it your best shot, whatever that may be.

-- Hal

Actually, I think you owe it to YOURSELF to give the spelling and grammar your best shot. Because you're not likely to have many readers if you don't.

Just because I don't insist on perfection in the mechanics of writing here doesn't mean I'll be giving much of my own attention to works that deviate too far.

Look, I work at a job where I have to read piles of documents every day. This means I read pretty fast. Every time I hit a mistake, it's like hitting a bump in the road. Going at high speed, bumpity-bump-bump, doesn't work well at all.

Who else is like me? Who else work in jobs where they have to read lots of documents everyday?

Hmmm. . . . Book and magazine editors, maybe?

Jim

Thanks for the positive contribution to the forum, Hal.

Jim

Do I get a prize?

-- Hal

James, I'm in the same occupation, and when something leaves my office it has my name on it. That's not something I take lightly. But I get paid to read, so I'm willing to endure poor grammar, poor spelling, and long bouts of boredom.

The stuff on here, on the other hand, is something to be read for pleasure, for relaxation. It ought to be clean and easy to read. I hate trying to read something THat luks like yur uncle Rex rote it while he wuz drivien down a durt road.

Don't thank me. This is entirely self centered. I'm like you, I don't wanna wade through bad stuff any more than necessary.

As in the above example, if your work becomes distinguished through lack of conventions, your message is shot.

-- Hal

Another trick to use when proof reading your own material, is to read it from the end to the start. for example.
start the to end the from it read to is ,material own your reading proof when use to trick Another.
That way it does NOT flow. Many times you will over look your spelling mistakes because you wrote it, and your brain knows what you meant to say. LOL> So you tend to look right past many miss-spelled words. .
Hal has given some VERY solid advice. When you write something it represents YOU and YOUR thoughts. If it is Hard to read because of grammar, and or poor spelling, People will loose interest very quickly, and after the first paragraph, they will start to "Skim" it over and catch about every third or fourth word, and probably NOT get the full effect of the story.
Hal is published Monthly (and probably more than once a month a lot of the time) for those of you who do not know who he is other than that "CRAZY GUY" who puts out videos, and takes in T-man Refugees. LOL> Hal has a column in Fur Fish and Game every Month (I believe it is every month, at least it has been every month for a LONG time. LOL) So if you get the chance pick one up and read his articles. Most are very insightfull, and some are just down right Hilarious. LOL>
Thanx again Hal for the Tip!!!

What??????

Is this a test to see if we can make a sentence out of those words?

He is saying read it backwards.

Another viable option is to read it out loud, very carefully, one word at at time. You can pick up some mistakes and omitted words that way.

But the best method is to get somebody else to look over your work before you submit it.

-- Hal

LOL, thanks... I agree, the best is to get someone else to read it. I can read my stuff over and over, front to back, back to front and it may make perfect sense to me but joe blow reads it and...you know the rest.

Not lucky enough to sit and read all day. I have to work. LOL

LOL> I thought I explained it pretty well. LOL>
As Hal said, I am trying to tell you to read it backwards. But also as Hal said, if you have the option of someone else to look it over, that is the best option.

I ain't qualified to write anything from reading all this, lol.

We really don't want your kind in here anyway.

Take your little tablet and crayons and go on back where you came from.

-- Hal

another little trick is to leave it sit a week, then read it over.

also

I am in the truck a lot, a lot of thoughts come and go as I tool along, so I like to keep a note pad handy, then when im sitting at the keyboard it helps jar those thoughts loose again.

wots a spelcheker? i got me an edumacation at skool of hard knocks

Hal: "The ability to electronically check my spelling was what prompted me to by my first computer -- 20 years ago"

You actually misspelled "Buy".

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHA

Just pokin' fun at you Hal....I really enjoy your articles in F-F-G and appreciate your input.