[stylist] bios and cover letters

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

April,

First, even sighted people have appalling grammar skills. As a writer
and editor, it's amazing how little respect most feel for the written
word.

Second, there are several ways to catch mistakes. Braille is the best
way for blind people to read and edit. Every thing will show up in
Braille just as in print. Once you can learn and use the Braille code,
it helps tremendously.

There are also ways to edit with screenreaders. I'm only familiar with
JAWS, but I think most are comparable. There are features you can use
with JAWS to help catch errors, though I admit the homonym thing isn't
easy to catch. If you know you have a tendency to misuse these words, I
would double check each instance of it. Also, the more you write, the
more you learn to use the proper form.

Lastly, as a blind person, it never hurts to have a sighted person
double check your work, especially to catch visual formatting issues.

As a former writing student who has and currently works as a writer and
editor, it's possible to have error-free or close communications. And as
you say, you're still learning; you'll get there. But this isn't just a
blind issue either.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of April
Brown
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2014 10:31 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [stylist] bios and cover letters


I have strong thoughts on this.

Maybe because I've recently lost my vision.  I haven't been able to
learn all the tech I need to "fix" my writing.

I've read too many Twitter conversations where agents, editors, and
writers throw hissy fits over mixed up homonyms.  Often, on the screen,
"there," "their," and "they're" look alike.  They also sound alike on
read back programs.

I want readers to give my writing a chance.  If they know I can't tell
the difference, they can look past it in the pre-editing stage.  Those
are errors I can't see to fix.  They won't think I am uneducated.

They may think I am too much work.  However, I'd rather be honest up
front.  To not share this with a potential work partner feels dishonest
to me, since it does affect the quality (and quantity) of the work.

Of course, everyone feels different, and those in a different place
along the journey, may not need extra help.

April Brown

Writing dramatic adventure novels uncovering the myths we hide behind.



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