Grammarly Has Made Me a Lazy Writer
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
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
Reply
You too, Nichola have a relaxing weekend; enjoy.
Alex
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
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
Lynn
All the best,
Michael
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 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
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
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
