Don’t be afraid to help

To you who put yourselves through the horror of reading any of my posts, first of all, I'm sorry. More importantly, if you see an error--grammatical, syntax, spelling, or otherwise--please make a note of it in the comments. Don't worry about typos. I'm talking about mistakes that are likely to be repeated, like when I say lay when it should be lie.

Since I was a wee puke, I've always been intrigued and motivated by my mistakes, but if no one ever points it out, I'll likely never learn. So please, have at it.

Proofreading is a mad skill, but that's not really what's needed here, unless it's something we're considering submitting for publishing. For instance, we all know the difference between there and their, but when you're in the thick of the fight, writing feverishly trying to fill water cups from a fire hydrant, sometimes the fingers just go their own way. How many times have you reread and thought, "Whaaaaat??" Just the other day I found Your instead of You're. Whaaaaat??

Most of the stuff we submit daily probably doesn't require proofreading--we get the point, and we all make mistakes. Irregardless, however--that's something that needs to be dealt with before it spreads. Why isn't irregardless being automatically underlined in red as a misspelled word? Is that a thing now? Dammit!

I'm just saying, you have my permission to point things out. I want to improve as a writer, and I know I don't know all the rules yet, so feel free to educate me when the opportunity arises.

If you leave a comment asking for the same treatment, who knows? Maybe we'll get good at this stuff.