Being a good writer requires plenty of different skills and talents. First and foremost, I think it’s important to have good ideas. I have always found the “good ideas” part the most difficult, as I start getting nervous when I stray too far from what I know by way of having been taught. However, being a ‘Type A’/OCD-type personality, the “follow the rules” part of writing has always been fun for me. I took pleasure in diagramming sentences way back in intermediate school.

There have been plenty of occasions for others to call me a “grammar snob.” Fearing to frustrate others by questioning the quality of their ideas, I have leaned on the crutch of, “these are the rules you didn’t follow” when asked to edit for someone. And I’ve had my share of rants about how disappointing it is that grown, educated adults don’t know the difference between “its” and “it’s.”

As an editor, I am learning not to fear that somebody is going to hate me if I suggest that they rethink something. As a writer (and in other aspects of my daily life), I am learning to trust my creative intuition more… although it has a long way to go. And, finally, I have seen how dangerous it is to be a snob about almost anything. I recently read something… somewhere… in which the writer bragged (self-consciously, at that) about knowing the difference between “its” and “it’s,” but later in the same paragraph, she used “contribute” where she should’ve used “attribute.”

So the upshot of all this for you, my readers, is this:
If you see a mis-spelling or a grammatical error, tell me. Just do me a favor of sending it in an e-mail so I can fix it, rather than posting it as a comment for all to see. FYI, though, I do tend to drop in the occasional British spelling… not on purpose, but because they’re interchangeable to me. And I have grown very fond of the ellipsis. I tend to think in pregnant pauses, rather than stops and starts.

Other fun ones I’ve seen lately – principle/principal, there/their/they’re, bare/bear, dye/die, piece/peace, lose/loose…. I collect these; feel free to drop your favorites into the comments.