by Gavin Wyatt

Created on: October 09, 2009   Last Updated: October 14, 2009

Being a good speller has always shown professionalism in writing, but is the ability to spell mandatory to be a good writer? The ability to spell without using an aid and the completion of a good finished product need to be addressed as two separate parts. The finished product is what is read and graded. The writer's ability to spell is not directly tied to the finished product if writing programs are used as a writing aid. This is why spelling is not a prerequisite to good writing. This is why new ideas are being heard. New writers are breaking onto the scene everyday.

The thought process has been in the past that the ability to spell shows writing knowledge. Knowledge is the true key to great writing. You can't have great writing without the proper knowledge of spelling and grammar. Editing with a pen or re-typing a page on a typewriter can be time consuming. Writing programs have come to the rescue with spell check! Word by misspelled word, it moves through the paper pointing out spelling and grammar errors, and giving helpful suggestions. The fixes are usually fast and painless, changing very little. If the writing is poor, the spelling will not matter. If the spelling is poor and the writing is great, the story will be bought and edited.

To the reader, attention to detail shows the writer spent time editing. The reader is not distracted by errors. The finish product is the final goal and should be the only yardstick to measure competent writing. Does it matter that one writer sat, and in one shot, went from blank page to a finished product in hours? Another might have spell checked his paper to death after multiple reads over multiple days. Either way, they will achieve their final destination, and a final product.

These days, ideas are written through the internet at break finger speed. It is the quality of the idea that will truly make the writing successful in this new environment. If the writer is good and the idea is complete, they will succeed. If the writing lacks and the idea are poor, it will not succeed. Proper spelling will not move the needle in either direction. Poor spelling cannot sink a good article, just as great spelling cannot save it. Worry about the structure quality before the writing quality is putting the cart in front of the h-o-r-s-e.

As my wife and I cheered our daughter through a spelling bee just recently, I made the comment that I thought spelling didn't really matter anymore, and a spelling bee could in fact be a waste

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