Some of the worst advice I’ve heard writers give aspiring writers is not to worry about spelling or grammar. Sure, once you’re a successful author, you can hire people to spiffy up your rumpled manuscript, but when you’re first trying to break into print, having a manuscript with sloppy spelling and gross grammar errors will eclipse any alleged “good storytelling” that might be hidden underneath.
Would these writers show up to a Fortune 500 job interview in bib overalls and a sweaty denim work shirt? I think not. Sure, some folks had disabilities like dyslexia and struggle to tell their ABCs from their AEDs, but there are ways around that.
So do what you need to do to get your manuscripts to have as few errors as possible; take a community college English grammar class, hire a tutor or find a friend willing to copy-edit you, but whatever you do, don’t send out anything but the best, most mistake-free manuscript you possibly can to prospective publishers.
Doing anything less is guaranteeing your desire to never rise from a publisher’s slush pile.
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