When words are “beaitiful”
Sally Asnicar
Writer. Semi-retired editor, proofreader, redundancy slayer and grammar warrior. Mum. Granny. Dancer. Skier. Rugby union tragic. JP. #proofreadingaustralia #fullproofreadingservices #writing #editing #proofreading
A dear, long-time friend visited me recently. We live on opposite sides of this vast country, so our infrequent catchups are treasured.
Over the years while my kids were growing up, I took to writing weekly “nuggets of wisdom” or meaningful sayings using a whiteboard marker on our fridge-freezer door, in the hope these might inspire them for the week ahead. When my friend visited me for the first time after COVID travel restrictions ended, she loved this idea and wrote her own little note on my freezer before she left, thanking me for our hospitality and friendship.
After her second visit last month, she wrote another thank-you note on my fridge-freezer door while I was making a coffee. As I turned around, my editor eyes immediately noticed she’d misspelled beautiful.
Spelling mistakes sting an editor’s eyes like lemon juice. But while I winced and yearned to correct it, I checked myself and desisted. Because while fixing spelling mistakes is just one of the myriad important tasks editors do, there are two things that are even more important: edit with your audience in mind, and maintain respect for and sensitivity to the writer and their writing (i.e. do no harm).
So, I resisted the temptation to take the marker from my friend’s hand and correct the misspelled word. Why? Because I was pretty sure I might offend her, but more than that: our friendship is far more important and special than a minor spelling mistake. Above all, her message was HEARTFELT and meant ONLY for me. Her words of thanks and friendship really were beautiful – even if one word wasn’t quite “perfect”.
It reminded me how important it is for editors to keep two things in mind when editing:
1.??????Who is the audience? “Editors work with writers for the benefit of readers.”[1] Whether that is an audience of millions, thousands, hundreds, a dozen – or just one person; in this case, me!
2.??????The effect our edits could have not only on the reader and the writing, but also on the writer – “do no harm”. A skilled editor knows when to leave well alone.
Editors are (mostly unfairly) known as grammar pedants. And sure, we are when we are working. We owe it to our clients to be rigorous and make their work as error-free and perfect as possible.
领英推荐
But what about when we’re NOT working? People often ask me whether I can “switch off” my editor’s brain when I’m reading for pleasure or am out and about, bombarded by the written word everywhere – in shopping centres, at restaurants, on signage as I drive around. Short answer: No.
Spelling mistakes, bad grammar and punctuation, typos routinely assail my eyes and brain. I cannot NOT see these things. And mostly, I cannot avoid being silently miffed by them. Often, I can’t (or don’t wish to) do anything about them, either.
If a friend writes a beautiful (or, in this case, “beaitiful”) message to me – on a freezer door or in a card – it would be insensitive and heartless of me to point out any minor grammatical faux pas or spelling mistakes. In this case, only I AM the audience. And these words mean the world to me – whether they are perfectly written or not.
My point is that in some cases, if ignoring an innocuous spelling mistake is not going to make or break a deal or a book review, but could potentially affect a friendship if it is NOT ignored, then just “let it go”.
Because as with everything in life, there are exceptions. A heartfelt message from a dear friend is definitely an exception.
I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this, from the viewpoint of editors, writers or readers. DO editors have a duty to uphold good grammar and spelling at any cost, or are there times it’s more important to shut up and resist the urge to fix?
[1] Institute of Professional Editors, About Editing, https://www.iped-editors.org/about-editing/
?? ?? ?????????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????????? ???????? ???????????????? ?? Wordpress website design for small business. ?? Responsive web design ?? Website audits
1 年I appreciate you sharing your experiences and wisdom Sally
Amateur Journalist - Holistic Wellness Sustainability & Indigenous Culture
1 年I found the title clever and humorous. I've had a similar experience though so I can understand where you're coming from. A good friend sent me a copy of their book for review, which I would have never read if that hadn't been the case, but at some point, they said "I think I can do better next time" (it was a series in progress). I have a long way to go in terms of editing, even though I do my own as a freelance writer, and I'm sure you might find this post atrocious lol, but I still have my own eye for finding mistakes and errors and I was sure to point out every single one I found while reading through my friends book. Finally, he came out and said, "Try not to worry so much about the details, let the book speak to you and tell me what you think of it." It was then I realized my own mistake of assuming I was helping him learn where he could improve in his next book by correcting misspellings, double words, punctuation, etc. After that, I gave him an honest and heartfelt review of how impressed I was by his genius. ...and remembered this was more about our friendship and connecting through reading and ideas than about technicalities. I think you're spot on. :)
Proofreading Specialist, Copy Editor, Grammar Guru, Passionate Reader and Book Coach
1 年Great article Sally. I am the same as you. My friends and family know that I only correct grammar and spelling errors if I am being paid to do it. The relationships with family and friends are more important than correcting a mistake.
Content, Information and Security. Editor, writer, cybersecurity specialist.
2 年Editors only have a duty to those people who are paying them for their editing service. That’s my hard line in the sand. There are friends who have asked me to edit for them without money changing hands, and I only do that if I am satisfied that they are prepared for an actual critique of their writing, and if I have the time to do a good job. In most other settings I will let it go. One exception is with other editors. Generally I do it quietly, but in this case it is too glorious not to sing from the rafters… I would like to point out that you have mistakenly spelled a word correctly (beautiful) in your article when it should have been incorrect.
Writer ? Editor ? Consultant
2 年What a great article, Sally. Like you, I find it hard to turn off my editor brain. I often need to transition from work to an everyday conversation!