Resources for a Writer's Toolbox

 I blame auto correct.

I know it’s super handy when a typo instantly transforms into a correctly spelled word. Especially when it’s a confusing word like occasion. Two Cs or two Ss? I’m forever forgetting. But once I realized that auto correct knew how to spell occasion, I stopped worrying about the C and the S.

But then, it seemed my memory lapsed when it came to other words, too. Words admittedly not as complicated as occasion. In my defense, these words that refused to materialize automatically from my finger taps across the keyboard tended to be letter groupings that I didn’t often use.

Until one day, a most common word refused to appear. For the life of me, I could not remember how to spell . . . Well, the exact word escapes me just now, but trust me, it was not that obscure, and the incident left me thoroughly shaken.

You see, from the sixth grade through high school, teachers called upon me to grade English tests, read essays, and yes, to score spelling tests. Now suddenly, my spelling skills had fallen into question.

And I blamed auto correct. Until the next time I wavered over occasion with those blasted Cs and Ss.

While I’m not ready to let auto correct off the hook completely, I’ve come to terms with the reality that my spelling prowess is not what it used to be. Thank goodness for the ease with which words can be looked up online—if auto correct doesn’t have the capability of instantly rearranging and/or supplying the correct letters. 

Can one admit that auto correct is a useful gadget in a writer’s toolbox while continuing to jab it for eroding one’s natural spelling ability? (Asking for a friend . . . )

Photo by hannah grace on Unsplash

As writers, we need all the instruments and devices an expanded toolbox can hold. Next month I’ll share some of my favorite sources of writerly information, each one a valuable tool. But right now, I want to dish on the upcoming opportunity for Indiana ACFW members to gain a bevy of useful info about the wonderful world of editing. The absolutely-without-a-doubt crucially necessary tool that some fear, others love, and about which a third group finds themselves suspended in a sort of love/hate relationship.  

Join your fellow Hoosier writers on Saturday, November 6, via Zoom from noon to 2 p.m., to discuss the uber important topic of editing.  

Editor Panel: Types of Edits – 

What Are the Differences?

with guests

´  Tish Martin – Content Development 

´  Jean Kavich Bloom – Line editing

´  Kim Autrey – Copy editing/Proofreading 

´   Jessica Brodie – Working with a Writing Coach

Jot down your editing / coaching questions and RSVP to acfwindianachapter@gmail.com, so we'll know you're coming. See you on November 6th! 

Beth’s combined experiences teaching the high school Sunday School class, substitute teaching in the public school, and connecting with the teenage staff at the fast-food joint where she claimed a “back booth office” helped inspire her young adult “Choices Matter” fiction series. She's a "cheerleader" for saving sex for marriage and for "renewed waiting" because it's never too late to make wiser choices. Her “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog helps people of all ages navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage while her “Slices of Real Life” posts find GOD in the day-to-day moments of real life.

 As a genetic genealogy enthusiast, she writes and speaks about her experiences as a "foundling" who located her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in the blog series “A Doorstep Baby’s Search for Answers.” All of her writing endeavors can be found on her website, https://bethsteury.com.