Are you an astute self-editor? Do you thoroughly check every submission, blog post and email before sending them out? Are you careful to always make a good impression with anything you write?
Sure, we all make mistakes. We miss errors and fail to notice problem areas in our manuscripts and email. But I believe it is the job of a writer who wants to be thought of and perceived as a writer to always ALWAYS make the best written presentation possible.
I get emails personally and through SPAWN with all sorts of problems—no capitalization, minimal punctuation, misspelled words, etc. When this person is asking how to get published or how to submit stories to magazines, my instinct is to first suggest he or she go back to school or hire an English tutor. What are they thinking?
It is easy to overlook errors in your writing, especially if you write a lot and you can compose letters and stories/articles rather quickly. That’s why I always reread what I write, even when it is a simple email to a friend.
I can’t tell you how many times, in my haste, I type the wrong word—“our” instead of “out,” “her” instead of “here,” “of” instead of “or,” “thee” instead of “there” or “were” instead of “where” for example. It is easy to do when you write a lot and when you write lickity split.
If you want to be respected as a writer, pay close attention to the material you are putting out there. And this is important whether you are typing a quick email to a friend (or an editor) or you are creating a promotional piece for your newly published book or you are working on your novel. Your presentation really DOES make a difference.
It’s easy to overlook errors. We all do it. And mistakes are especially common in work that has been revised over and over again. Not too long ago someone let me know that I’d misused an apostrophe in the title of one of my blog posts. Sure enough, there was my mistake for all to see. I so appreciate the kind blog visitor for pointing this out to me.
I think it is a nice gesture to let someone know when they’ve committed an editorial blunder. But not everyone will thank you. I once sent a note to a well-known newsletter editor letting her know that two-spaces between sentences was no longer an accepted practice. It is now one-space after all punctuation. She snapped back that she knows that, but she prefers not to try to change an old habit.
So what is my message for today? If you want to enter into the world of writing as a respected freelance writer or author, you really must present yourself in the best light possible in everything you write. One way to do this is by checking and double/triple checking every piece of writing you produce before sending it out.
Learn more about me and my work here:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matiljapress.com
Order my new book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia
Read what others are saying about this book—on the book page. Last time I checked, this book had 14 five-star reviews.