Thursday, July 08, 2010

Spell Check and I Don't Always Get Along

By Nichole Giles

Even though I use it all the time, I’ve heard a nasty rumor that spell-check doesn’t like me. I don’t know why.

Maybe it’s because I sometimes write in fragments.

Or because I make up my own slangish words.

Sometimes I combine two words it doesn’t like me to combine. Like, randomish. Or Awesomesauce.

Maybe it doesn’t like me for using parentheticals—and em-dashes—in the same paragraph (or even the same sentence). I sometimes even use a period after a single, lonely word. Several. Times. In. A. Row. *gasp*

It definitely doesn’t like when I Capitalize Random Words.

And let’s not even get started on really great character names.

*Sigh*

I’d break off our relationship entirely, except I really kind of need that spell-check guy. He watches my back. Yes, I admit, there has been stuff that’s gotten by him. By both of us, actually. But. That happens to the best of us. I’m better off with him than without him. So. I think I’ll keep him around.

That is, as long as he can tolerate my style of YA writing habits. Cuz really. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

3 comments:

Carolyn V. said...

I have the same mixed up feelings about spell checker. I mean...what's up with that? =)

Jolene Perry said...

HA! I just had this rant the other day. The first thing I do is tell spell check to ignore all fragments. But then I start to worry, is there a fragment somewhere in there that I didn't intend?
It's a love/hate relationship. I'll agree with that.

Nichole Giles said...

Love hate relationship is right. I mean, seriously, we need him when we can't figure out how to spell tricky real words, but he's annoying as heck when we're using correctly spelled made-up words. Sheesh!

One of these days someone will invent a YA writer's application to plug into spell check. Then we can add all our "special" words into the dictionary and be happy.

Thanks for commenting ladies!