How do U Spell Righter?

I have a deep, dark secret to share. One I've never shared in a job interview. No one can fault me for that...the interviewers never asked. So, it wasn't that I lied. It's more that I kept certain strategic details to myself.

The secret is this: I flunked nearly every spelling test I took in school.

It's true. My father used to tease me that my spelling was so awful I had to become a writer. Imagine my surprise (and my father's) when my first job out of college was as a proofreader. Ha!

In my defense, the Managing Editor knew what she was getting...I did very poorly on the proofreading test. She just really liked me and thought I'd fit in. That magazine folded a year later, but I'm pretty sure my lousy spelling was only 4% of the cause. (I suspect bad management decisions accounted for the remaining 96%.)

Here's another secret: Most writers I know don't spell well. Writers just, in general, know how to use a Dictionary.

The non-writers of the world tend to be shocked and appalled by this discovery. That's why I felt it was my duty to make this confession. Now the whole world (or at least the 50 or so people who read this) knows the truth. Writers can't spell. That's why proofreaders and copy editors exist. We love them. Usually. So, please ask one of them to proofread your resume because there is a very good chance I'll spell your name wrong.