As a kid, I used to play word jumbles. I was pretty good at it and still have a keen eye for catching an errand, misplaced word or typographical error. However, at times, like many others, my typoglycemic abilities betray my ability to edit my own work. One explanation is that we don't read words a letter at a time but in units. So, when the passage has contextualised and a predictive succession of where it's going, our brain, in a sense, auto-corrects. Sure, it's handy when you might be reading something for understanding's sake, and indeed, when we read our own work, we have that dis/advantage of predictability since we wrote it.
About a week and a half ago, I was putting together letter boards to help kids learn to spell and texted my new "editor" an image of what I was doing. I never saw it, but they immediately spotted a random word with the letters I was cutting up. They have been a tremendous help in the past month and a half, reading my work, picking up those typoglycemic oversights, and offering suggestions for improving my stories. When I signed up for the Deadline for Writers, I solely expected to be working in a vacuum, as I usually do, but having someone with a keen eye eagerly looking over my writing has been such a luxury. They even inspired me to take on the Poetry challenge on the platform!
Since my mother introduced me to Sarah Selecky's writing class a few years ago, I have found these online forums to be an excellent source of community. Selecky's, one of my favourites, used to run more than once a year, and I always looked forward to the inspiration they provided me for my writing. It's not just the simple visual prompts or word themes but the opportunity to share and have an outside self-accountability that can be an inspiring driving force. As such, I've sought more opportunities to participate in such classes since my in-person writing group drifted apart a few years ago. Time in the day-to-day quickly evaporates, and having a "class" helps carve out that moment to explore our creativity. And, having a fabulous editor is appreciated more than words can say but certainly reflected in the warmth of my smile their way :)
Happy Writing!
