"Not everyone's language is writing", Danielle Laporte
When I heard Danielle Laporte say this at the World Domination Summit, I felt a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. It was really one of the most defining moments of the entire summit for me. I instantly knew this to be true for me.
I've always had a disconnect with language. This started when I was a small child and didn't start talking when other kids did. My worried mom took me to the doctor and he told her that I would start talking when I was ready. I did start when I was about 4. In school, spelling was a constant challenge for me and in the 5th grade I learned to sit next to the best speller, so I could peek at his work. Luckily, spell check came along right as I entered college and saved me years of heartache. I also have trouble spitting my words out and sometimes it can take me 3 or 4 tries to get out what I'm trying to say. I took 6 years of Spanish and pretty much none of it stuck. I even turn the subtitles on when watching movies when there is any kind of an accent - especially a British accent.
This disconnect with language has even manifested itself in this blog. I love blogging and can't see my life without it, but it's a constant struggle. Proofreading takes much longer than creating actual posts. I will read a post over at least 10 times - and often I still miss errors. Marketing my blog has always been a challenge for me, but it's even harder when I know it's quite possible that there will be errors when I promote a post.
"Not everyone's language is writing."
After the summit, I thought a lot about that simple sentence. It gave me the freedom to think outside of the box. So my language isn't writing, how can I make that work for me? This is where you come in.
Assistant Editor Program - Help Edit My Blog
I realized that I could get help from my readers. You are all worldly and highly intelligent folks. I know you have a keen eye for spelling mistakes and now I want you to point them out to me. I've used google docs to create a simple reporting system. To notify me of my slip up, go to the "To err is human ~ to correct is divine" section in my sidebar. If it's a true error, you will receive 1 point. I'll note that you received a point in the comments. I'll keep a running tally of the points you earn over time.
Earn 5 points and you will win a prize! You can choose to receive a custom made Felt Flower Ring that I will make to your specifications or you can receive a $10 gift card to Powell's Books (they ship all over the world).
Reportable Mistakes
- Misspelled words
- Missing word(s) that makes the sentence incomprehensible
- Missing punctuation that makes a sentence incomprehensible
- Transposed words or completely wrong word choice (many times my brain will say one word and I will type a completely different word)
Mistakes that Don't Earn Points
- Extra spaces (I'm a die hard 2 spaces after a period girl)
- Superfluous punctuation (I like to add commas, semicolons, etc to enhance the voice of the post)
- Convoluted sentence structure, but ideas are still understandable.
I'm really excited about this new partnership with my readers. I still will strive for error free posts, but adding you to the mix gives me the freedom to not worry quite as much. If I do slip up, that's an opportunity for you to help me and win something cool for yourself. It's a win-win partnership that I hope will make me an even better blogger.