Spelling notes by Nicky Wilkinson

Spelling is my least favourite subject: as  part of the process side of writing it is my Achilles’ heel — I enjoy the creativity more. 

When I first started teaching, though having signed up for History, I was temporarily assigned to an English class for a term. I wrote surrupticious on the board. Immediately, up went a hand and a student politely pointed out, it was wrong. ‘Ah yes’ I said, indulgently wielding my chalk and had another go. ‘But it is still wrong!’ the poor student lamented, now perplexed at my ineptitude. Kids quickly decide whether you are any good or not, so discretion being the better part of valour, I handed over the chalk and marvelled at the actual spelling, relieved the following term I could focus on 1066 and all that, and worry less about spelling. 

Have spell checkers made a difference? I have found it is not the panacea you might think. Although happily adjusting your text as you type, that’s only if your first attempt is near enough for it to guess and not likely to be confused with a different word. Words like ‘though’ are a nettle bed of danger, ‘thoughts, through, thorough, why did the English language get so fixated on things with ‘ths’ and o and u and r and ‘ghs’? Similarly, "their," "there" and “they're” need careful application.  

In my last blog Jane Lynch picked up that I was homophoning! - where the sound is similar but not the meaning. For example: accept versus except, complement versus compliment and counsel or council. For the gourmets amongst us cafetière and cafeteria need to be navigated with caution.  

Other pitfalls include the double letter zone of mystery. I was amazed when my kids in Zimbabwe brought home a red grammar book with whole sections of rules for double consonants; embarrassed versus embarased, accompanied versus acompanied and fossils versus fosils to name but a few. Educated in the 1970s no such books were in use at my school, rather osmosis was the order of the day! 

For me, spelling mistakes make me feel ashamed. It feels unfair when others instinctively seem to know what's right. When it comes to being published, ultimately the excellence of the written piece should decide its acceptance or not. Writers time to  give of their best, but  editors can be applied to craft the rawness into line, so that the reader is undisturbed. 

I see God the Father as a delighted parent rather than an abrasive teacher, who is more excited about our work than upset with our spelling. That He sees my heart first, is what keeps me going when I'm discouraged. Wherever we are in a project today faith starts us writing,  belief fuels perseverance till its done and courage helps us to give of our best, regardless of the cost in time and energy. 

Nicky Wilkinson is a new writer writing reviews, this blog with projects in devotional, children’s books and memoir. Formerly a history teacher in Zimbabwe, she is currently an enthusiastic grannie, artist, runner and cyclist and owns a saxophone and guitar that are not played enough. She has lived in Prague and Harare but is now settled in Sheffield UK.