I think Professor Follis was right in saying to keep your editing out of your personal life! I find myself sometimes trying to correct things that people don't really appreciate my correcting. Really, though, it extends beyond the written word. I am a perfectionist in all ways and often try to better myself and others in whatever I can.
For example, yesterday I went to Meijer with some University Housing co-workers to buy items for a surprise baby shower we are hosting today. Our items are tax exempt and I thought the way the cashier was ringing up the items was wrong because I'd seen another cashier make the same mistake and correct it. I told her what I thought, thinking I just didn't want her to do it wrong and get in trouble. She said that she had done it the same way the day before but said my way did make sense though. Still, she didn't change the way she did it.
I then thought that perhaps I was wrong. I was at a different Meijer for one, and for two, it's possible they had changed the rules or have a relaxed procedure.
So, I guess I say all that to say editing is ever-prevalent in our lives and we have to find balance. We all have opinions but so do others. I'm really facing this now as I am planning my wedding and EVERYBODY has an idea of how it should go ... but it's MY wedding and so do I! So, I'm trying to learn how to listen to suggestions as well as not be afraid to stick to my guns!
Life is editing and editing is life. I will be editing for life. Haha.
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People never seem to be as pleased as I am when I find mistakes. We made shirts for work the other day and I was the only one who seemed to care that the shirt said "Lets." I have learned lately that unless it's a major mistake, I should just not say anything. Like it was said in class, WE could be the wrong ones! Sometimes I know I'm right, though, and I just smirk. I didn't go through all this grammar and writing training for nothin'! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your engagement! As Professor Follis put it in our last lab, "we are dangerous" because we have learned so much. Suddenly, we are so comfortable in our writing and editing skills that sometimes we don't hesitate to correct others. Now I'm not the crazy-editing student who will correct her friends facebook wall posts. However, I have to remind myself that even as a journalist, I don't necessarily talk with proper grammar. I, along with many people in this world, use a lot of 'slang'. This is perfectly fine, as long as you recognize the balance between the two.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hard line to walk, but I get so irritated excessive grammar mistakes, especially online. With texting, which aims to communicate fast with little or no grammar, use of NO punctuation has seeped into some people's online writing in E-mails and message board posts. Not, of course, that I'd correct anyone.
ReplyDeletePS- congratulations on your engagement!
I'm pretty relaxed about most grammatical errors online unless it is a formal statement. Is it bad that a message written in perfect accordance with every grammar rule usually comes across as cold or impersonal? A blog for school is an exception as I would think these are more formal statements, but on Twitter or Facebook or AIM I'm pretty turned off.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest pet peeve with editing in my personal life is more literary than grammatical. Sure, I sometimes find myself correcting other people's grammar, but when they misuse irony, I get agitated. This has become a problem because I accidentally corrected a teacher for misusing irony the other day. It was a coincidence not irony!!
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