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Are Strong Spelling and Grammar Skills a Writing Requirement?

Are Strong Spelling and Grammar Skills a Writing Requirement?

Are Strong Spelling and Grammar Skills a Writing Requirement?
Photo by PDPics / via Pixabay

Are Strong Spelling and Grammar Skills a Writing Requirement?

Do you really have to be an expert at grammar to be a writer? Is that really a writing requirement?

Are you holding yourself back from writing because you are terrible at spelling and grammar?

From my experience, you may not be as bad at spelling and grammar as you think you are. Maybe you are. But should that stop you? Absolutely not.

These are skills that can be learned. Storytelling is a learned skill, too. You can improve your spelling ability and you can learn grammar rules and when to break them–you really need to learn the rules so you can decide which ones you want to break; otherwise you just look like an idiot without justification.

Will it take time to learn these skills? Definitely. Just like anything worthwhile, it takes time to learn, study, and practice so you can do write well.

If you are not good at spelling and grammar, before you send your manuscript to a publisher, have someone proofread your work (either a friend who is good at it or a freelance editor). This way, you will increase your chances of getting your work published. If your cover letter, query, or manuscript is littered with errors, the publisher isn't likely to buy your work or hire you as a freelance writer.

Readers also don't want to see your writing work littered with errors, and some of them will even stop following you or choose to do business elsewhere if they see errors in your writing.

Good writing signifies to readers that you will take the time and effort needed to provide them with a satisfactory product or service and that you will be professional when working with them.

There are certain things a business professional needs to do to look professional. Things like answering the phone as a business or using a well-designed website (that means none of those website designs that were popular in the 90s).

Good writing is just another piece in the puzzle that makes business professionals and writers look professional. If you don't have the skills, save yourself some headache and hire an editor who will proofread your work before you release it to the world.

Jody Calkins
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