Will typos & bad grammar bring about the world’s end? (Hint: No it won’t)

A few weeks ago I posted an article about spelling and grammar, asking the question how much should you care about grammar in posts in your game. There was a frenzy of comments, some in disgust at the deliberate typo I’d made in the article’s title (I really know how to make writers wince!). There were some good points, some made in Facebook comments and some in the article’s comments discussing the pressure of perfect writing vs quickly-written but good content. Here’s my favourite:

We have a rule in my Professional Writing course. “Do not write to be understood. Write so you cannot possibly be misunderstood.”

The occasional typo in informal writing can be excused because, ultimately, the piece of writing is not important. The piece will be forgotten. However, there is no excuse not to learn how to write properly in your mother language. The smallest typo can result in your resume being thrown out without a full read-through, but people never pause to consider this because they were never taught to care. Writing properly is not a skill that only intellectuals require. Someone with a basic, high school-level vocabulary still needs to learn.

People are granted the occasional mistake because no one is perfect. Many people abuse this privilege. That needs to stop.

– Megan from AJJE Games

What matters most? Story or spelling?

I can live with typos and poor spelling.

I think the content matters most. If the story is interesting and coherent, and i can understand the writers intent I can live with it.

Some people are dyslexic. They don’t know the correct way to spell things. Spellcheckers all well and good until you get multiple options for a word and dont know which is correct.

I write for fun, not for a profession. I have limited time to do it as it is, so proof reading rarely, if ever, happens unless I’m writing something for professional reasons.

If you can understand it and the story is good – why does it really matter it someone’s made a typo?

– BaronVonLongman from Blue Dwarf

Good stuff written well

I like to read “good stuff written well”. In saying that I would prefer a few grammatical errors and absolute wild storytelling written with absolute abandon over a grammatically perfect post with no passion any day. Ie It’s forgivable. We’re all guilty of it at times. All of us.

– Threnody from Estrangement

Thanks for commenting dudes!