The thing about writing...

Don't let the fact that you are bad a spelling or grammar stop you from writing. You will never get better at it unless you start somewhere.

I was lousy in school with creative writing, so much so that I almost failed my English class - and it's my first language! Granted, I grew up in a mixed language environment that included Afrikaans and German.

My point is, I am a very creative person, files and books full of ideas for characters and stories. Yet, due to my poor performance in school with regards to English studies, I lost any confidence I might have had to write and actually let people read it. I was a decent student, good in all my other subjects, even won awards for computers and geography - but English was the bane in my life.

The teacher was no help either. In stead of helping me she simply told me to learn to spell! It was not my content so much as it was my spelling and grammar. Of course, some of my stories were a little way out sci-fi fantasy and I often felt they were misunderstood. The teacher wanted real life drama and poetry. To each their own was a concept they did not understand.

Regardless, years later I happened upon some information regarding my family. It turned out my spelling was only bad because I suffer from mild dyslexia! I had all the letters correct in my words only, I got their order mixed up. This is when I turned over a new thought pattern and decided it was high time I began writing and publishing my works.

Thanks to technology and word processors, I was able to write and have the machine correct my spelling and even help me with some grammar. I am still not very good at it but I do believe that I have come a long way since.

So don't let the little things get you down, stop wasting time and move past them. Had I known then what I know now - I would have began writing a lot sooner.

(Reposted. Originally Posted Monday, June 15, 2009)