OK, not to be a bitch, but...

[annafugazzi]

...if one more person writes me a review that says, "I really like this, but you need to use a spell checker" and then responds to my question of "What was mispelled?" with words like "color" and "center" I'm going to scream.

I'm a stickler for spelling. I do use spell checkers, and I read and reread everything I put up before posting it. I also have betas - good ones. And I know some typos get through regardless, and I adore readers who take the time to point them out to me, BUT.

I AM CANADIAN. I AM WRITING IN A BRITISH FANDOM. I AM GOING TO USE CANADIAN/BRITISH SPELLING, GOD DAMN IT.

It pisses me off to no end to know that people notice those kind of "misspellings" in my fics. I know that when I read other people's fanfics, if there are too many typos my esteem for the writer - and for their work - suffers. And it makes me less likely to cut them a break when it comes to plot holes, wonky characterisations, etc. It's not totally a conscious choice, but I know somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "This is entertaining, but Draco's a little too nice. Which isn't the end of the world, but... you know, this writer didn't even care enough to make sure she had no spelling mistakes. I guess she didn't care enough to make sure Draco was in character either. Oh well."

It drives me crazy that this probably happens with a lot of folks who read my own stories. If people want to dislike my writing or my fics because they don't like the plot, characters, ending, etc, that's fine. I am all kinds of OK with that. But knowing there's people disliking them because of something that isn't wrong just... AAAACCKKK!!

::thinks of a deep blue ocean::

::nuts to that, thinks of Harry napping with his head on Draco's lap::

OK, feeling better now.

Comments

[blindmouse.livejournal.com]

Huh. I've honestly never had this response to my spelling (which is also British, since I'm Australian). (Incidentally, it seriously irritates me to have to refer to it as "British spelling", when what I mean is "the rest of the English-speaking world's spelling".)

I haven't even had complaints when writing in American and Japanese fandoms. Do you really get them so often?

[annafugazzi.livejournal.com]

Huh. I've honestly never had this response to my spelling (which is also British, since I'm Australian). (Incidentally, it seriously irritates me to have to refer to it as "British spelling", when what I mean is "the rest of the English-speaking world's spelling".)
Heh, yeah - I'm Canadian, so yeah. Although actually Canadian actually is different from British; some words we spell British (colour, centre), some American (airplane, aluminum), and some we can't seem to make up our minds (anaesthesia/anesthesia, analyze/analyse).

I haven't even had complaints when writing in American and Japanese fandoms. Do you really get them so often?
I do, although only for Bond. I guess because that's the thing I've written that people read the most, or read first. Dunno.

I used to get it once in a blue moon when I wrote for Law & Order, but IMHO that was understandable in that Law & Order is an American show. I still used Canadian spellings, but it didn't bother me when Americans were thrown by it. Harry Potter, though? Aaaaaarg.