Bad Writing

[Diddums]

Nobody is perfect

Speak for yourself sunshine

 

[Brizzles]

I've said this countless time to people,

To be blunt, I think if someone won't put the effort in to the words they write then they shouldn't expect people to bother putting the effort in to read their words.

countless times

 

[uber soldat]

I can write all by myself because I'm clever like that. Why would I pay someone to write things for me?

 

[spoffle]

The formatting of your post is awful. It makes it jarring to read.

Where do you draw the line on effort in = effort to read? If someone has written something interesting on a topic they're a specialist in, would you skip it if they mixed up their and there a few times?

Unfortunately the formatting is because I'm typing on a phone and it is awkward for me to read over otherwise.

There's also typos and then a complete lack of effort. Things like of instead of have particularly. That tends not to be an accident, or "a accident" as it seems the majority of the forum would type.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Do those that do it themselves imagine writers to be too expensive?

I can write better than 90% of the "paid for writers", so I don't bother.

 

[spoffle]

Awkward for you? What about the reader? Put some effort in.

Are you saying that if someone wrote something which was otherwise interesting, but consistently used of instead of have you wouldn't bother reading it? That seems odd. I could understand it if someone had Tefal/Glaucus levels of ineptitude, but with 'normal' bad writing isn't it better to judge the piece on its substance rather than its relatively minor mistakes?

When I said that the context was after pointing it out, they continued because they didn't care, then I don't see why people should read it.

As for it being awkward for me, I'm saying it's awkward for me to type on my phone with optimal formatting because of the orientation of the display. It's the complete opposite, so it makes it difficult to format it nearly whilst being able to read it back easily on a phone.

 

[spoffle]

countless times

Shhh! You're running my point!

 

[flibbage0]

Does raise the question of how can one improve their writing skills?

Reading more?

 

[spoffle]

If others point out their mistakes. That's how I've learnt, and it inspired me to take a greater interest.

 

[AHarvey]

I worked for a company in the education sector that specialised in taking exam papers and modifying them for the visually impaired.

I wrote 2 press releases + several online articles. Now, my writing skills aren't 100% so I had them checked with online programs as well as getting a couple of friends to read over them that are employed in copyright roles. A few tiny tweaks here and there and they were ready to go so I emailed them to one of the two directors.

They are, or were both teachers, but they all came back with red pen all over them (i **** you not) as though they had marked them and a load of bad edits. I published them as they wanted as they wouldn't listen to me.

 

[itchy]

I can write an articulated correctly punctuated piece on a computer etc.

But you should see my bloody hand writing its bad, I mean real bad.

If someone said to me, "write CV in your own hand writing". You getting spider crawling block capital letters to even remotely understand it.

 

[bainbridge]

I'm looking at cars in Autotrader at the moment and am getting put off by poorly written adverts.

It shouldn't matter but it puts me off the car they're selling!

 

[HangTime]

So can anyone enlighten me why this is? Do those that do it themselves imagine writers to be too expensive?

Typically I think it is because they don't want to pay for something they believe they can do adequately themselves, coupled with worries about finding a competent writer who can translate their skills and experience effectively. In some cases they will have recruiters suggesting alterations in any case. Finally for many job applications I suspect a moderately well written CV that presents the key information well will not lag far behind a really well written CV. A poorly written CV will put me off but provided it reaches a certain standard then it is really the content that will dictate what action is taken.

Or is it a case of incompetence not recognising itself?

Possibly. Well educated people probably think they are as good as or better than a generic specialist writer because in their past experience they have been proven to have a better than average standard of writing. They may not write as well, but their ego will make them believe they can.

Lastly, has anyone NOT used a company because their standard of writing is low?

Yes, but depending on the nature of their business and what they have written it wouldn't necessarily be a show-stopper. For example a football club might issue a poorly written statement but it wouldn't prevent me from purchasing a ticket to watch them play.

 

[Cosimo]

Their spell checker is not working.

Be thankful that they use one.

 

[Haggisman]

I'm looking at cars in Autotrader at the moment and am getting put off by poorly written adverts.

It shouldn't matter but it puts me off the car they're selling!

I'm the same, along with eBay ads and buyers on Gumtree. The ones who sound like they wouldn't be able to spell their own name if their life depended on it get ignored/told the item is no longer available; it's generally a good indication that they'd be a pain in the **** to deal with!

I know extremely good doctors who aren't great with English and that wouldn't bother me one iota.

Exactly! Nothing could possibly go wrong if a doctor communicates your medication/dosage incorrectly/ambiguously

 

[phil675]

I'm the same, along with eBay ads and buyers on Gumtree. The ones who sound like they wouldn't be able to spell their own name if their life depended on it get ignored/told the item is no longer available; it's generally a good indication that they'd be a pain in the **** to deal with!

The local 'things for sale' group on Facebook has many classics like 'chester draws', ugh.

Also in my first job in the fast food industry my manager would write in a comical way. You know how some people say 'fink' instead of think? He would write like that, every word.

 

[Efour]

Because no one cares and as long as the meaning is conveyed it functions.

Like anything there are those that do care, but I think you are a dieing bread. IT killed everyday writing. It's like flying, on an aeroplane. Some people still consider that an event...

 

[Freakbro]

Dunno wat U r on about m8

 

[Richdog]

I see a lot of poor writing out there in the wild—especially from small businesses. I see billboards, product information and expensive websites that haven’t even been proofread, never mind professionally written. For example, I’ve just been perusing a national company’s site—probably the largest in its field—and the writing is shocking (this company is in the education sector, ironically). This frustrates me because most writers are actually cheap and good copy always looks far more professional than DIY copy. Not only that, but often the writing can be re-used over and over again.

CVs are a problem, too. The ones I see through a friend in recruitment are almost always, not just poor, but exceptionally poor. New jobs can be life-changing and bring a substantial raise yet most people don’t even consider a writer.

So can anyone enlighten me why this is? Do those that do it themselves imagine writers to be too expensive? Or is it a case of incompetence not recognising itself? Lastly, has anyone NOT used a company because their standard of writing is low?

The irony being that the thread title: "Bad Writing" should not have both words capitalised.... it is not a name. "Bad writing" would be correct.

 

[Efour]

The thread begged for a grammar nazi to go over it