It is easy to think that all writers are experts at grammar and spelling. That's a perception that can cause many aspiring writers to not pursue a career as a writer. Speaking as someone who is suspected of having dyslexia, I say that is not the case as I have been able to publish books and achieve my writing goals, but it does take more work compared to others.
Dyslexia should never be a barrier for people with the creativity and passion to get their stories out.
In this article, we will cover two areas: how to manage dyslexia as a writer and how to play with language and use it as a character within your work.
Strategies for handling dyslexia as a writer:
There is a multitude of software that can be used to assist people with dyslexia to express themselves best. It is important to note that all services or software do not sponsor this article, but they will never say no.
Tools like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and more are all effective tools in correcting grammar and producing work that is clear and easy to understand to readers. As you read this article, it was refined using Grammarly and ProWritingAid.
These A.I. tools are easy to use and, most importantly, provide people with dyslexia the freedom to write with full creativity, knowing that they can later address grammar and spelling errors.
A writer once said, "Your readers will only see the finished work; the process and the journey to the finished piece should never be a hurdle for writers." Now that there are so many tools to make the writing process easier, people with dyslexia can focus on making the best-finished product.
To children or teenagers, please do not compare yourself to anyone. Your process is yours to own and claim proudly, and always remember the quote above: your finished product is what matters.
Exploring the nuances of language:
When stepping back, grammar and linguistics are strange things. It can be easily thought that language and its rules are constant, but in reality, language changes constantly through technology, culture, and the passage of time.
I firmly believe that adopting a regional grammar is a great way of characterizing the world that you are creating, whether that be a city or, in extension, adding more context into the way your characters speak, their actions, and motives.
A writer who knows linguistic rules in a very deep way, and knows how to break them to add to the lore and world, takes bravery to do so as it may mean that your book may take longer to be picked up by a publisher or agent, but in the long run, it means your work will live longer in the memory of the readers that get their hands on your book.
I do this in my books, taking my personal bias to one side. An author who does this well is Cormac McCarthy; in his book The Road, a Dystopian World, his writing style feels cold, foreign, and dystopian, which paints his world bland. This book is a great example of intentionally breaking the rules to add context and depth to a story through the structure and writing style.
Doing this is great for novelists and poets. Speaking as a poet myself, we have the freedom to create our world without restrictions because the format is the author sharing their world and perspective with the reader.
If your writing is more factual, such as journalism and column writing, it's important to stay close to the key messages you want to express to your audience. These formats require you as a writer to shine a spotlight into the real world.
If you have dyslexia, develop your method for creating excellent pieces. At the end of the day, your reader sees the result, not the process it took to get there.
In conclusion, if your writing format is more creative, like that of a novelist or poet, then use language to create your world and vision. This may mean breaking the rules. The best writers can use the unspoken structure and their writing style to add context and depth to the world they are building.
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