A dear friend and writing colleague and I were chatting by email the other day when she mentioned having to go back and rework the spelling of a word.
"I had to correct a word in that sentence - can't believe I typed 'doog' instead of 'good'", she wrote.
That's when I confessed that in writing these weekly articles, I have no idea how many times I've had to change Dog to God. In baring my soul I ask that you, my readers, give me the benefit of the doubt: as much as I enjoy pets, I am not a dog worshipper. God rules in that category.
Typing errors are just one reason why I always try to send the draft of an article to clients prior to submitting it to the Senior Editor. I know that any writer worth their salt is mortified when avoidable errors, be they spelling or data related, are published and I do my best to avoid that disgrace. Better to deal with the faults before they hit the publishers' desk.
The best piece of advice I received when launching my career as a writer was to strive to be the best in my field and then to find an even better editor. I am so grateful for word crafters and correctors in my life who have met that criteria. You know who you are.
As expected, there's a moral to this story. Life has often been compared to a blank sheet of paper, complete with exhortations to record our dreams, expectations, plans and exhortations. Rarely mentioned is the need for someone to catch our errors; in other words, we all need someone to direct our steps.
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)
