I was getting orders as a ghostwriter, had short stories to edit, and a self-published writing journal to finish. I first bought my premium subscription to Grammarly just over a year ago. dashes and punctuation at the end of lines, even in poetry, grammar matters. I was intrigued by how he focused on things such as hyphens vs. I believed this until very recently while editing a poetry collection with our local Poet Laureate and poetry professor. In that realm, punctuation, grammar-none of it matters. I am first and foremost, and most passionately, a poet, a claim, I imagine, that gets some eye rolls in this kind of forum. I was thrilled to have been introduced to these programs! Then, somewhere along the way, I forgot about them. Until then, I relied on willing friends with a layperson understanding of grammar to help me edit. These programs gave me goals to reach for, a hard look at what I had on the paper, and suggestions I could trust. Finally, I had the help that I desperately needed. The array of colors, the highlights, underlines, the helpful suggestions, and the grading were almost soothing.

I plugged in one short story after another. I went home and dove into some of the programs they had mentioned. Nothing can do the magic that you do-but, for writers, these programs can certainly help.) Aha! Here, I thought, is an excellent solution to not being able to afford an editor! (I have since had a conversation about these programs with an editor, and I offer my apologies. Despite my preoccupation with feeling like a country hippie from the redwoods on the loose in a big city surrounded by MFA’s and nice perfume, I caught on to the talk of these writing/editing apps. I attended the San Francisco Writer’s Conference.

My initial run-in with these apps was a few years ago while struggling to present my first novel to the world (I say first like there has been a second). What do you do when you reach your 40’s and realize that grammar is essential to that dream of being a writer? You thank the gods and goddess of technology for creations like Grammarly and Hemingway. For someone like me, an ex-English major turned anthropologist in rebellion against the confines of the English program now trying ‘make-it’ as a professional writer, it’s necessary to unravel the mystery of grammar. In my defense, it was during those first two years of college when I was more interested in Frisbee golf, the occult, and figuring out ways to get the hell out of the Midwest. For reference, that was twenty years ago. I’m ashamed to admit that after 2 ½ years as an English Major in college, I am finally learning how to use a comma correctly.

My grammarly