Woodworkers have an expression, “Measure twice, cut once,” that applies to any craftperson, whether it is in building a cabinet, a website, or writing a book. When writing any copy, it is tempting to get to the end of the process, read it through once, then commit it to public attention. This spontaneous approach to writing may be appealing, but spelling errors can very quickly destroy the credibility of your content, regardless of how on target the message is.
A writer’s best friend is a dictionary. As an editor of both book manuscripts and client website copy, I see many errors that Spellcheck just won’t catch. “Your about to catch a cold,” is just as valid to a spellcheck program as “You’re about to catch a cold.” “I baled him out of jail,” unlike the individual in jail, won’t get caught when you intended “I bailed him out of jail.”
Another book that I keep by my side is the Chicago Manual of Style. If I have any questions about correct punctuation, formatting, or style, this guidebook quickly resolves the issue. Taking the time to doublecheck your writing will pay dividends in reader acceptance of your message. Measure twice, cut once.