Life of A Writer

The writer within me has a BIG passion for creating stories and articles that will inspire and warm souls. I've had this passion since I was 8-years-old. In addition to writing words that I hope will inspire my readers and fans, I enjoy reading. I love to read Christian fiction and a variety of magazines, but the problem is I have to force the writer within me to stop and enjoy what I'm reading instead of wanting to correct every little thing. Yes, I'm guilty of what I'll call visual editing. While reading an article or story, I have a bad habit of picking out all the grammar and spelling mistakes... and even looking for them. I have to stop myself so I can enjoy the message being conveyed, but sometimes it's hard to stop.

I know. I know. Everyone makes mistakes. Heck even I make grammar and spelling mistakes that I don't catch after re-reading what I write a hundred times, but I just can't help myself. Come on, admit it. You, as a writer, do the same thing, right? Of course you do, because like me, you just can't help yourself. But it's okay. Why? Because that's the writer within us.

Since I'm rambling about my habit of editing everything I read, I'll tell you about the last thing I read and edited that surprised me: Last night, as I was assisting my 16-year-old daughter with her homework, she read a sentence to me from her health book, and the sentence had a grammar error. Then as she continued with her homework, we discovered two grammar errors on the worksheet. Yes, even the schools make mistakes, but I was proud of my daughter, because she was also able to spot the mistakes. I didn't show them to her, we both caught them at the same time. Maybe she has a writer within her, too.

Posted by Misti Sandefur, Christian author/freelance writer at 11:20 PM