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The Spelling Squints

The Friday Post

Wolf Hunt

I do it without thinking.

There I am, writing along, and my fingers tippity-tap out a word…and hesitate.  It doesn’t look quite right.  Is it?

Then I do the spelling squint.

Actually, the spelling squint does itself.  My head tips ever so slightly left.  My left eye closes.  My right eye narrows.  And ta-da! I can spell through the problem word.

I have no idea when I started this little routine, or why–it’s probably that left brain/right brain thing.  I don’t really care–as long as I have my magic tool!  I do sometimes wonder, in a fly-on-the-wall-way, what impression it gives to those who might catch a glimpse.  Popeye the Speller-man (er, woman)?

Arrr, matey, just pop me some spelling spinach!

It’s not the only face I make when I write.  I find myself frowning, smiling, wincing, snarling, and offering up steely-eyed looks at nothing in particular as I pause in the typing, letting the moment settle in and translating feeling to paper.  And then I find myself glancing around, so very glad that my little office has no one else in it…

Choregraphing  fight scenes in the physical, I leave to someone else.  I make mine up as I go along, more or less.  Or my characters make them up for me, but that’s another topic altogether.

No, in this office, it’s just me and my squinchy, frowny, smiley, glaring writing face and my dash of spelling squints on the side.

Of course, spelling squints can happen anywhere.  Just today I was offering up a crate pacifer for Connery Beagle–one of his favorites, a cow hoof.  (Or, as Connery would say, HOOFIE! )  It was so very kindly labeled, in case I didn’t recognize it–big round sticker:

HOOVE.

Ohh, yeah.  Tilt.  Eye closed.  Squint.

Bet I’m not the only one here who secretly corrects misspelled signs, though…

Crate Countdown: SIX DAYS!

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 04:00 and is filed under Finishing Up with Friday, Of the Day, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Responses to “The Spelling Squints”

  1. Tori Lennox Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 10:33

    Oh, man, grammatically incorrect signs drive me nuts!

  2. Doranna Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 10:34

    Make my fingers itch!

  3. Kada Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 13:55

    I get it every time I see the words color, mold, neighborhood, checks cashed, etc etc. Is most confusing!

  4. Kada Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 13:58

    Oh and toward, forward and backward are the newest ones I’ve become hyper aware of. Am forever tempted to stick the ‘s’ on the end where it belongs. (At least in my native English. ;) )

  5. Doranna Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 14:03

    Well, I think everyone does that, actually. I kinda do. Oh! “Backwards” gets me every time.

  6. KarenJG Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 15:18

    Just have to tell you that you’re doing the spelling squint wrong. What’s with this tilting thing? You’re supposed to narrow both eyes, lift your chin, and push your head forward (forwards?) on your neck so as to get the proper angle on the word.

    Um… right? That’s how I do it, anyway…

    (P.s., I’m sending secret scritches to Connery. I didn’t want to do it too loudly, or it might disturb his concentration on his “HOOVIE!” ;-) )

  7. Doranna Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 21:36

    Wow, yours is more complicated than mine…

    Yes. Must not disturb the HOOVIE.