The Orthographic Elements of Copwriting

Recently, I had a note from a Covington resident on myspace pointing out a typo on my company Web site. It was a funny one, I had accidentally typed in "copwriter" on a links page instead of copywriter. I thanked him, wishing I did something exciting like write for the police, and quickly fixed the error.

I'm glad he told me about the typo. It's not something you want a prospective client to see. I would never have noticed it, because like everyone else, I am too busy working on client Web sites to ever go back and clean up my own Web site. But it got me thinking.

As a writer, I think I am often judged more harshly than others for my loose-use of the English language. I am an easy target, because I frequently make up words, or change the meaning of words to suit my needs, apparently a no-no to the world's unofficial fact-checkers. I just laugh politely when someone points this out. Also, like many people, when I get upset, my words sometimes come out in a jumble. But if you're dunce enough to laugh at my mistakes when I'm mad, woe betide you- you get what you deserve.

Some years ago I had a friend who married young and argued a lot with her young husband. She would often try to trip me up and get me involved in their arguments (I quickly learned to stay out of them).

Example of innocent question asked by friend: "Do you think it's OK to point out someone's grammatical mistakes?"

Me: "No, I think it's really rude."

Her: "But what if you want to help them to be a better person?"

Me: "Unless they asked you to do this, it isn't nice and probably rather hurtful."

Her (disapprovingly): "Well. I disagree. I think if you tell someone when they make spelling errors or pronounce things incorrectly, you're really helping them out."

Me: "You're probably the only one who notices, or cares, so I don't see how this would help them out at all."

I don't think they are married now. Surprised? If you feel the need to correct others, consider becoming a 3rd grade teacher. The world isn't a classroom. And for the would-be teachers of the world, I say don't be so animostic- or such an apostrophascist. Put away the red correction pen and enjoy the company of the people you're with- or you might just become defriended.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was the "Covington resident" that pointed out the typo, and it wasn't to make you feel stupid. I figured that since proofreading was one of your services, it would be in your own interest to have properly spelled text. It was my good deed of the day.
Lisa said…
I'm grateful for your input. Other people probably saw the typo but didn't say anything.
Spelling Nazi said…
I was the "Covington resident" that pointed out the typo, and it wasn't to make you feel stupid. I figured that since proofreading was one of your services, it would be in your own interest to have properly spelled text. It was my good deed of the day.

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