I remember being told in my Spanish class in eighth grade that it was no longer appropriate (heh, first I typed appropirate, and that seems fun) to call those from South or Central America (or Spain) Hispanic, that the proper catch-all was "Latino/a." But I prefer to call my friend from Mexico by her name, and say she grew up in Mexico.

Most of my spelling and grammar offenses are a result of self-correcting as I reread my writing before others see it. Spelling and "by-the-book" grammar are not my strong points, I admit. That doesn't, however, mean I love words, sentences, paragraphs, writing or reading any less than someone who also values those things and has perfected their punctuation marks and A, B, Cs. If I write something here and quickly review, I don't often ferret out the mistakes. If I wrote "your" where I meant to write "you're", I will read "you're", so won't know to correct myself. And I most certainly know the difference between the two even if I continue to make that mistake.

When I allow myself the time, my writing usually proceeds as follows:

Round 1: Self-expressoin with stream of consciousness embelishments.
Round 2: Review and rewrite, to improve the narrative, refine my opinions, etc. At this point, I'm still auto-correcting. I rarely catch the spelling and grammar snafus.
Round 3: Review, and more rewrites. At this point, it becomes clear that I need to proofread.
Round 4: I read one word at a time to identify and correct spelling errors.
Round 5: I read one sentence at a time to correct grammar mistakes and any additional spelling mistakes (such as "its" and "it's").
Round 6: I take a break from editing. I don't look at the piece for hours or a day or more.
Round 7: I read the piece again as a whole, once again to make sure I'm pleased with its entirety, and if I make any significant changes that require additional proofreading, I begin the process all over again.

By round 7, after a great deal of work, I usually have something that boasts faultless spelling and grammar. And I continue to argue that commas are a matter of personal preference. I use them when I feel like using them.

When posting on the LoT or sending emails to co-workers, I usually make it through Round 1, maybe Round 2. Call it laziness. Call it "not enough hours in the day". I may embarrass myself from time to time, but usually my meaning comes across. I was once consoled by a wise mate who (and here I poorly paraphrase) said original and good creative writing is hard to come by, but precise spelling and grammar can be learned or corrected by a helpful editor. I'd rather be skilled at both, but que sera...

Doesn't mean I don't envy those who are clearly able to express themselves beautifully with nearly flawless execution. (I'm looking at you, LSPE, Tom, NM, Alex, ism, etc., etc., etc.) :D

What EH said. :) Though I can't say I go through exactly 7 drafts, I do read and reread what I write many, many times, moving commas, splitting up sentences, checking grammar (by my own odd rules), etc. Sometimes I get embarrassed and take hyphens out of sentences even though I could put one in every sentence and be happy. ;)

I go through two drafts if I'm feeling dedicated.

Thank you, this word has been alluding me for some time now - as the voice in my head dictates Pique my hands write Peak or Peek while my eyes know it to be wrong, none of the body parts could offer the correct solution. Look for this word in future posts.

You've certainly piqued my interest!

It will be among my peak accomplishments to have been of service to the eloquent and thoughtful Mr. €.

Such is the confusion of threads of this nature that I do not know if €uroMeinke was intentionally alluded.

It was an allusion to his elusive nature. It's all Illusory anyway.

If I spend enough time talking to our TX office it just comes out. I was talking to our HR director and I randomly started talking with an accent. She asked me when I moved to the south. :eek:

I'm pretty sure everyone here knows my love for guys with the southern drawl. /swoon