Deep in Proofing

Having started in corporate America in 1988, Microsoft products are embedded in my DNA. Yep, over thirty years before tracking devices were delivered to my bloodstream through vaccines.

(Just joking, folks. If you don't want to be tracked by corporations and the government, get rid of your damn cell phones!)

Anyway, I still rely on MSWord in my day-to-day writing. However, there's only so much spelling and grammar that can be programmed. And like any other programming, it can result in stiff dialogue. And since I write in English, the Autocorrect often goes spastic over names in other languages or new words that may have infiltrated English in only the last few years.

As a result, I've limited MSWord's Autocorrect function when I write. It's especially necessary when I work on the Justice series and its spin-offs. The Queendom of Issura, the main location of the series, is a blend of Chumash, Ertruscan, and Celtic cultures. Then add in Hawaiian, Dine, Hopi, etc.

Yeah, if Autocorrect were sentient, it would be yelling, "WTF, woman!"

What Autocorrect can't do is point out when I forget to add articles and prepositions in a sentence. Those are my biggest mistakes when I write. I hit the major nouns and verbs. Sometimes, I put in the wrong variant of an adjective or adverb.

This is why writers can't depend on any automated spelling check or grammar check programs. While these programs are helpful, they are not perfect.

That's why writers need to proofread their work or have a trusted person proofread the manuscript.None of us are perfect. Occasionally, we need some outside help.

And that's okay, too.