Writers have to deal with bullies, too.

The "Terribly" Wrong Way to Make an Impression

It's a fact that human beings are going to make mistakes.  It's also a fact that, with the current trend in online content demand, the writing and publishing needs to be fairly quick.  This does leave more room for mistakes than would normally be in printed material.  Most people know this and aren't quick to judge.  As long as a piece isn't riddled with mistakes and is readable, it is not a big deal.  In fact, I'm sure someone can find something wrong with much of what I write online because I am quick about it.  I have to be.  I wouldn't make money if I poured (that was for you, MP!) myself over my work for hours on end and I'm sure it's that way for most content writers.

The extremists (or "grammar Nazi's") bother my sense of ethics.  You know, those people who love to point out a misspelling or a comma in the wrong spot in the comment section of an article.  These are the people who blame the downfall of society on improper grammar.  Puleeeze.  It's likely the downfall of society can be attributed to people who have no tolerance for others.  These are the people who are so egotistical they have to point out the mistakes of others in an attempt to make themselves feel superior.  Isn't that what bullies do? 

And the award for most arrogant blog goes to...

A fellow writer brought to my attention a site called Terribly Write. The blog is informative and it's very obvious the chik knows what she's talking about but the entire website is classless for the very reasons I stated above.  She has taken "grammar Nazi" to a whole new level.  She insults writers and entire websites because "they deserve it".

And most of these errors are so minor that it all ends up just looking petty.  I mean, really?  Putting up a post because of an "s" instead of a "b".  Are you kidding me?  It's obvious it was a typo, which I'm sure is something she's immune to.  And that's most of what the blog is; nitpicky crap.  (And it's BS. Get it? Hardy har har.)

I've always said that if the error is an obvious one, feel free to private message me and I will edit it if I can.  I'm human.  I'm not going to catch everything.  It is completely tacky to call an error out publicly.  There's just no excuse for being an ass.  Again, that's bullying behavior.

It hurts my soul to see people be so thoughtless and even worse that she thinks it is completely okay.  But wait!  It gets worse!  Her site has it's own errors. I can spot three without even scrolling to the middle of the page.

Seeing her cruelty, it makes me wonder if she's not just a jaded writer that was long ago passed up for some gig by someone she thought she was better than.  She goes after Yahoo! a lot which is also suspect.  Who knows?  Whatever it is, you have to really have some deep issues to want to scour the internet (or Yahoo! as the case may seem) for errors, most of which are relatively minor.

I guess this bothers me not only because I'm a writer but because she could do so much more with that website then the gutter she has made it into. She's obviously knowledgeable.  It's just sad she has to use her powers for evil instead of good.

It takes so much more than good grammar to be a writer.  But good writers and editors already know that. :)

Peace and kindness toward others,

Pamela