Grammarly Has Made Me a Lazy Writer

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I will get the confessions out of the way first; I can't type, write or spell my way out of a wet paper bag, even if my life depended on it. I have been vexing over the last little while whether I am a blogger or marketer. Can we be the same; it is selling words, products, or services. I guess we are in the " mutual benefit creation industry ".

My A' la carte go to over the last couple of years has been Grammarly, another confession I abysmally failed English at school; perhaps my mind works differently; that's my story, and I am sticking to it.

When I joined Wealthy Affiliate, I am sure no one mentioned blogging and writing; it wasn't in the sales pitch, no way, no how. But, I am sure "writer's shock' is a thing. That moment of free fall when the realization dawns that if you want to make it the WA way, it requires some writing, in fact, a lot of writing and more writing and even more writing.

As you can see, it has been a Metamorphosis of galactic scale; I would describe myself as; not a writer's writer rather a writer that enjoys writing. So, it has been a long haul. But, I still marvel at writers who can enthrall their audiences create massive engagement, and bring a thirst that needs quenching.

It has taken yonks, but finally, I have reached the point where writing, technical tweaking, and marketing have all come into the same space. That is something that I am incredibly grateful for.

I can highly recommend finding that balance. It only took me about seven years; I guess now I have the seven-year itch. So probably I will go away and create the new Wix or Squarespace LOL I saved the sun the other day, so I am in that league.

So back to the story, how has Grammarly made me a lazy writer? Well, unfortunately, I have come to rely on it too much, like that writing crutch. It has made writing incredibly easy; once you pick up your writing vibe, you can lose some freedom because you are always looking for perfection. I know that we need to be grammatically correct, and spelling mistakes can be like fingernails down a blackboard to some.

There has to be that happy medium, that place where we are comfortable accepting the odd imperfection. I am sure that many give up because they feel that they can not write. No amount of happy-clappy will change that conviction.

Once we get into it, there are so many options, advice, and ideas for writing the perfect bring-down-the-house pieces. So what way do we turn, and to whom do we turn?


Most turn to resources that will help their writing ambitions. I was that guy. Lately, I have been stepping away and going commando; writing commando, that is. The read-back has been cringe-worthy even by my standards; looking on it is like relearning but having said that, free-form writing could help you tap into or reconnect with your writing vibe, on levels that you could only dream about.

I know my perceptions have changed, and though I am only relatively new at going cold turkey, it has been like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I can genuinely say I am a writer that enjoys writing, it can be such a buzz the whole process.

Any advice received with gratitude.

There may be a glaring glitch in this post, that some may detect; it's called " hard out 15 hour days over seven". It takes time to train to be able to run consecutive marathons.

Enjoy the writing times of your life.

Alex Evans

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Recent Comments

41

Hi Alex,

It is okay if we need to use some form of help when we write but as you have mentioned there must be a balance. I do enjoy your writing so continue to strive with your free-form writing.

I do like writing and once I am in a writing mood it is fairly easy for me. However, when I am not in the mood to write it becomes a struggle so I refrain from writing during that time. I do not use Grammmarly; however, I proofread and I use the Check Grammar within the WA writing platform.

Have a fantastic weekend! Wishing you the very best!

Kind regards,
Nichola

Hello Nichola, thank you for your supportive words much appreciated. Yes, reading through the comments and observing at large here in the community, many members share your sentiments, me included. Writing can be a rewarding activity, especially when we are in the zone or mood; at other times, it can be a chore. There is something special about reading the content we have created especially if we sense that it is good, something we get to sense from time to time, an empowering feeling for sure.

You too, Nichola have a relaxing weekend; enjoy.

Alex

You are welcome. Indeed, it is a great feeling when you get to feel the power and impact of your own words. Thank you very much! 😍

I would agree that Grammarly has become my go-to crutch for my writing. I really do not know what I did before Grammarly.

Tried to proofread, I suppose.

I am thankful for Grammarly's help with my writing, I am also glad of the posts recently by Dianne and Les which have focused on English.

To be fair I also use Microsoft Editor to check my work. You can never be too careful, and I am getting older.

Alex

Hi Alex, thanks for stopping by and joining in the conversation; I am in the same camp as you. When it comes to blogging, we need to be on top of our game; there is a lot of completion out there.

Finding our best writing space can take time, and I think it is a continued work in progress. The re-read can throw the odd unexpected thing, so it pays to tread with caution.

Alex

Hi Alex! I don’t think I would make it without Grammarly. Sometimes it shows me a better way to structure my sentence or suggests transition words or points out when I wrote in the passive tense. All things I treasure. Sometimes I ignore the suggestion because I like my way better. But all in all, Grammarly is valuable for my writing and I’ve never considered that it makes me lazy or too dependent.

Lynn

Hi, Lynn thank you for sharing your experience, I share your thoughts. Grammarly is a powerful tool to have in our toolbox. People reading your comment will relate I am sure.

Alex

Hi Alex, I personally do not like writing but since joining WA if find it so necessary. Grammarly has made me lazy and very dependant. I do not think this is a good thing as it defeats the purpose of learning how to spell and proper punctuation. Grammarly can also get annoying at times, I guess you got to take the good with the bad. This is where that balance comes into place. Finding the right balance is important in everything, and I think we should strive for that balance. Thank you for the great post, Alex.

All the best,

Michael

Hi Michael, thank you for responding; writing aids like Grammarly can be very helpful, and then again, we can become dependant on it.

You have raised such a valid point we do need to strive to create that balance in all that we do, especially in a business where things can amplify so quickly.

Alex

I was a lazy writer before I used grammarly!!

I loved writing yet my thoughts ran faster than my pen wrote or my fingers typed.

The idea that I had to write everything in my head, was daunting, and when I see a grammatical error flash, it is distracting.

What I do is turn off grammarly while I'm writing.

When finished, I turn on Grammarly to check for errors.

Many of my errors are the omission of (the) prepositional word...grin. i was amazed at how often that occurred.

As a journalism student in college, when I worked on the school newspaper, you would have thought I was really good at remembering to add/use them, as prepositions are great content fillers. Makes the sentence flow smoother, too.

When I'm in the mood to write, the words flow. When I'm not in the mood to write, I struggle...

And the content builds anyway..grin

Rudy

Hi Rudy, that is awesome. Thank you for your response. I think many that read will relate.

What a good idea and mythology, turning off the checker while we write; thank you. Having suggestions pop up all the time when we write can be so disrupting and almost stall the flow.

You have a great workaround.

Also, that is something that all content creators will be able to relate to; when we are in the zone or mood, the words fall onto the screen with relative ease, and at times when it's a chore, it can be like writing blood out of a stone.

One of the best things we can do is accept that it can be like that at times.

Have a great day.

Alex

Thanks, Alex.
It's all a balance...sometimes the scales get uneven. We write when we can, the best that we can, and when we can't, its time to go fishing, take a drive, or take a nap!

Rudy

That is some of the best and concise advice I have read in a while, the words of experience speaking there, greater share Rudy.

Thanks, Alex! I appreciate that...

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