Kia ora,
Today I’d like to talk about spelling. Please don’t let fear of getting it wrong hold you back from writing your story. English is such a confusing language, because it’s a combo of around six older languages.
For many years, although I loved writing creatively, I didn’t feel confident as a speller. People kept telling me I was getting it wrong and I decided I was a terrible speller. But I carried on writing stories, because I loved it.
As a writer, over time I’ve improved, by osmosis, at the mysterious art of spelling. I still make mistakes, but I’ve come to know the nuances of my language more intimately.
The most important thing I want you to take away from my words is that it’s more important to write your story in your unique way, than to spell every word perfectly. In fact, go ahead and make some words up!
I’d rather you let those memories flow out of you and onto paper or screen, and hardly gave spelling a thought actually.
Once you’ve written the first draft of your story you can go back and work on your spelling. And after that you might ask someone else to look over it too, to catch those mistakes you might have missed, as all writers do. Yes, every single one of us makes spelling mistakes, no matter how long we’ve been writing.
Remember, your story matters.
Charlotte
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PS Would you like to write your memoir within one year, with my in-person support? This June I’m hosting the first of four seasonal meet ups for Write Your Memoir students here in Golden Bay, Tasman. Any students of my course are welcome to join though. All you need to do is signup and I’ll be in touch with your invitation to join us in a cosy country hall!
Charlotte Squire 