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.)
