For all of the plusses of a computer over the outdated typewriters—and we all know there are many—some of the drawbacks can be annoying. Writers, especially, must be vigilant in monitoring all of these “helps.”

For instance, don’t depend on the auto-correct function.

I entered the word yarn incorrectly, spelling it as yard. It was the wrong word, but since it was spelled correctly, the computer left it as I had typed it in. I found it later as I was rereading, but still…

Not long after that, I entered the word heart several times. Each time, I noticed the “t” disappear right before my eyes, leaving the word hear. I am not sure why this happened, but again, the word was spelled correctly, but definitely not the word I intended to use.

One last example: I wrote the name Jaxon. I am sure you’re not surprised to hear that it was auto-corrected to Jackson. No matter what I did, I could not get my computer to accept the altered spelling. 

I am sure there are ways around these difficulties—and many others—it just takes persistence in searching out the culprit and overriding the function. 

If you have run into other problems, or have the answer to the few I have described, please share your information.

Until then, type carefully. Reread often. Or, you want to get that old Remington out of the closet and create your manuscript the old-fashioned way!