I would be really interested to hear if there are any other writers out there who are dyslexic, as I am, and how they have dealt with that challenge? If you love something so much that you won't let anything stop you, no matter how hard it gets, does it [success] have more value to you than it would to another?
I am slightly dyslexic. Not nearly as bad as other people but I frequently flip letters and numbers. I've found I rely heavy on auto-check spelling functions like in Word. I love writing so much I hardly see it as a challenge. Welcome to the forum by the way MustWrite.
I have no excuses...........Just et-up with the dumb-ass. Keep expecting the spell check on Word to come back, "How many frigging times do I have to help you with the same damn word?" Lower case d's and b's give me pause while free-writing. Crap! I'm more screwed up than a football bat.
Writing ain't no team sport But there's plenty of help here. A question to answer your question. Does a wild bear shit in the woods? You dang skippy!
I've heard using type faces that are sans serif is helpful. I'm not sure why. I've just heard it's easier to read. Also double spacing can help. My bf is dyslexic but he is an excellent writer and manages with it alright. He says calibri is one of his favorite fonts to use when he's writing. I told him about using fonts that were sans serif a while back, he tried it and said it helps a lot. Dyslexia doesn't have to have a negative impact on your writing. You have to find ways to work around it and I'm sure you will do just fine.
I'm not dyslexic, but I just wanted to say how much I admire you - all of you - for doing what you love, regardless of the problems that get in the way. Keep on writing, MustWrite - I salute you!
A couple of days ago a friend linked me to an article on fonts designed for people with dyslexia. I remember one called "Dyslexie" being well praised.
Thanks Love to write, and everyone for the advice/encouragement. Sometimes the slow pace of my writing discourages me, I see others discussing words per day etc and it's hard not to feel a bit of panic; I love the story I'm writing so much, but it's the biggest I've written by far. Some days it feels like I'm a climbing a mountain with broken legs. Crazy? Me? Yep
Glad to help. Don't put too much stock in word counts. You can mash a keyboard and get a high word count. It's how the words are used and not the quantity that matters.
Hi, I've recently started to write but i have one major problem, I'm dyslexic! Ok, i'm not the worst at spelling but but when i write i'll lose concentration and my spelling and grammar suffer. I don't want this to stop me writing but often think about what happens when i finish the story? I find it embarrassing that i've missed basic grammar or have poor spelling mistakes so therefore will be reluctant to show people. I've seen websites such as fivver and freelancer that offer proof reading services? Do you think this could be an option? Thanks
I would be wary of paying someone on fiverr or similar; editing a novel is something which takes a long time and requires more skills than simply being able to spell well. Professional editing is an option, but it is pricy because, as said, it's a tough job.
Welcome to the forum, GingerCoffee will no doubt give you a more official welcome. If you have only recently started writing then you probably want to start with using something like the writing workshop section of this forum. Give the rules of the forum a good look over and read some threads that catch your attention, etc. As I have learned writing is a lot more complex than it appears as just a reader. After you get a general gist of the forum, read and critique some of the workshop short stories, build up your points and submit something yourself when you can. The feedback you get will be very helpful, I can guarantee that, if you keep an open mind about it. There are some very skilled writers on this forum IMO, learn from them.
I don't think that I'm understanding the problem as described. If you lose concentration while writing, there's nothing to stop you from returning to the piece after it's written and correcting the spelling, grammar, etc. Pretty much every writer does that. If the issue is that you're not able to do that editing, that's a different issue with different solutions. But I'll stop here and wait for clarification.
Well I can´t speak for OP but I have dyspraxia and dyslexic tendencies and my biggest problem is that I become blind to my own mistakes making self-editing hard. With the dyspraxia my brain works a lot quicker than it can execute. So for example when writing I might think in my head that I want to write "his name was Jon" But by the time I write it my head is a few sentences ahead talking about his hair or something. Because of that I might actually miss out a letter like this "his nam was Jon" or even whole words "his name Jon" but my mind has registered that I wrote "his name was Jon" so when I read it again the chances are that I won´t notice the mistake, understand? Also when people read they rarely read every single letter, noticing every comma and grammar errors unless they make an effort to do so. For people with specific learning difficulties that affect reading and writing that can be a herculean task. When I was at university I had my mother proof read all my essays I have sent her some of my creative work as well I don´t expect professional editing from her just whether I´ve left out any words or letters! haha and she is honest about whether the story is boring her or not. I will say this to the OP I do not write in my first language because all through my education at home I was told that I was bad at grammar and spelling and therefore I never learned to do it properly. When I emigrated to the UK the brits were quick to compliment me on my writing and vocabulary so I began to write. A huge problem with us with SLDs is that we are too self-conscious about our weaknesses. Your story is not going to be ruined because of a few misspellings.
