How long will you keep reading after you spot the first error in a piece of writing? Yes, I know I’m opening a real can of worms here, but I’m interested to hear what you think and feel about typos, misplaced apostrophes and the like. (I know you’ll be kind and measured in your responses; I’m not going to rant and neither are you! And please: if you spot a mistake – won’t that be just typical – do tell me, but gently. Think about the extra hours I’ve spent making sure I haven’t made any real howlers in this particular post.)
The thing is, the creative part of me wants to feel that we should be able to see beyond the little mistakes in following what might be seen as arbitrary rules. (Why shouldn’t I spell arbitry like that, since that’s how many people pronounce it? Why does it matter whether or not I put an apostrophe in “that’s“?)
Oh, but the creative rebel is always shouted down by the stickler for accuracy in grammar, spelling and punctuation. She’ll get very twitchy after the first couple of errors. Somehow, it does matter. (I realised I had something of an obsession when my then-six-year-old stopped reading Mr Men books because he didn’t like the way they were written. The apple definitely stuck close to the tree there!)
I’m not saying that the stickler is necessarily right in her inability to see past a mistake. It’s all very personal, I think, and the norms and conventions are always evolving. The evolution seems to be happening very fast in this online age, and maybe I’m just an old fart who can’t keep up. Maybe I need to let my creative rebel free and go with the flow.
So tell me – are you more forgiving of mistakes than I am? What, if anything, does that say about each of us as writers?
[Writer ducks behind a wall and throws the open can of worms into the open street.]
Verbal Dreaming 
Pretty sure the apple FALLS close to the tree. (If you’re trying to avoid a cliche, “keeps”, “lands”, “tumbles” and “drops” would all work.) If it were stuck to the tree, there would be no need to mention the “close to” part, since that would be a given. Just sayin’ … *snork*.
And, since I know you did that deliberately, thank you for providing me with an excellent opportunity to show off … 🙂
I’m a technical writer/editor by profession and, though I sez it as shouldnt, pretty damn good at my job, whenever I can be persuaded to do it. As long as I can remember I have been exceptionally sensitive to the way words are used, as though something deep in my gut perceives them as powerful and valuable, and demanding of respect. This applies both to grammatical structure and rules of spelling and such, AND to the core meaning or message of the “story”.
Therefore, while I recognize/ise that there’s a degree of arbitrariness in some of the rules, it’s important to me that grammar and spelling be consistent, and that words should be used, and stories told (or information imparted) with skill. I’ll accept, even enjoy, differences in style between one author or genre or intended reader and the next, and I fully understand how easily literals and other mistakes happen. But the fundamental logic of a piece of writing must make sense, and clumsiness, carelessness or plain lack of respect for the innate beauty of words makes me crazy.
Ah well, if that’s all you could find… I don’t feel too bad! And you’ve explained the need for rules very clearly – thanks.
Oh, good, you did respond! WordPress didn’t tell me. And there I thought I’d blathered on too much and earned myself an ignoring…:) I don’t know that I set out to explain anything, exactly … It was more of a vent.
I wouldn’t ignore you!
I’ve just read your initial comment again and found a line I love (and somehow skipped over before: “something deep in my gut perceives [words] as powerful and valuable, and demanding of respect”. That’s exactly how I feel!