spelling – The Story Department https://www.thestorydepartment.com Story. Screenplay. Sale. Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:51:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.thestorydepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cropped-fav-32x32.png spelling – The Story Department https://www.thestorydepartment.com 32 32 2808072 Its time to stop looking stupid https://www.thestorydepartment.com/its-time-to-stop-looking-stupid/ https://www.thestorydepartment.com/its-time-to-stop-looking-stupid/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:51:43 +0000 https://thestorydepartment.com/?p=3641 Read more]]> If you didn’t notice the error in the title, this blog entry is for you.

I don’t usually reprint entire blog posts but I read this entry on Seth Godin’s blog – and sadly it applies perfectly to many aspiring screenwriters.

When I get a manuscript or see a sign that misuses its and it’s and quotes, I immediately assume that the person who created it is stupid.

I understand that this is a mistake on my part. They’re not necessarily totally stupid, they’re just stupid about apostrophes.

It’s a moral failing on my part to conflate the two, but I bet I’m not the only one. What else are your customers judging you on?

It’s not just about being a grammar stickler. The fact is, we’re constantly looking for clues and telling ourselves stories based on limited information. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.

Godin is the world’s #1 blogger (ok, that’s a personal opinion). So the cat is well and truly out of the bag.

Replace Godin’s  ‘your customers’ with ‘your readers’.  They may include that producer, agent or funding agency you want to send your script to. You surely don’t want to be looking stupid in their eyes.

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