WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

Menolyricathingamy - word assist

I mentioned previously that, as I approach serious editing, rewriting, cropping, culling, extinction of 'the novel', I downloaded a couple of bits of software to assist the process. At the time of writing, I have not yet tried out the Hemingway (beyond a trial run, which does look promisingly useful).

The Chrome plug-in of Grammarly, though... well, that is doing stuff I didn't know it could. Even as I type this it is busy checking my every tap.

I wonder if any of you know or use this crazy little app? Found it in the 'store', having been pointed to it by someone at NaNoWrimo. It turns out that there are also 'native' (ie on your computer only) versions which can be downloaded and there is a 'premium' version, which requires payment. I may upgrade to that if the experience proves worth it.

This early usage, though, is interesting. I mention it because it has had an effect even when I am commenting on all your bloggies! If you have a pop-out version of comments on Blogger, and on all WordPress blogs, Grammarly is active, underlining all mistakes in red and flashing a red button at the bottom of the screen, mounting up the numbers along with the "errors". Which is fine except when it gets it wrong. Yes, I sometimes disagree with it! In the first couple of weeks, it took me some time to recognise that I could change it from US English to 'British' English. This at least stopped many of the 'spelling mistakes' being notified. However, it is assessing purely on technical grammar and there is no adaptation for personal style. Therefore, if I wish to use some of my own truncated language to give an emphasis or mood, Grammarly gets highly agitated and the page looks like a blood-bath! Then there are the times it wants to change something because it cannot understand context. For example, the word 'language' in the sentence just written. It wants it changed to 'languages' - completely wrong! As for the 'language of Blogville' - well, it's nearly having a breakdown over that! It does at least give the option to 'add to dictionary' so that when I write the word bloggies now, it doesn't get slashed. There is also the nasty tendency to enforce the use of the Oxford comma. Trust me, I know when and when not to use the darned thing and do NOT subscribe to its use at all times.

Why the rant? Well, I think this is actually rather a useful little bit of kit and if you have Chrome (I think there are other options for Mac as well), the app might be of interest to you - particularly as FFF gets going in 2018 (news on that next week). It even works on Gmail and if you download the native things, you can have full coverage - there is even plug-in for MSWord.

At times I am cussing it for being so in my face - but for the most part it is improving the standard of my output and am rather pleased with the thing.

Fancy a go? CLICK HERE!

NB - no affiliation; this is entirely my own point of view.

ADDENDUM - another blogger has mentioned that she did use Grammarly for a while for her work as a technical writer - then trashed it because it was nearly driving her mental. I scheduled this post two weeks back and so have a bit more experience with the thing. It can indeed be very annoying if one gets caught up in not wanting to see red. However, I am learning to ignore the red lines when I am sure of wanting to keep what I have entered. I am also learning to not take too seriously the 'weekly report card' which appears in my email from the teacher in the cloud! When the father asked what I want for Christmas, I asked for a year subscription - yes, am going to take the plunge and see what happens! A year is a long time if it sends me off the edge - but am discovering that there are things I can switch off and that I don't have to accept what it tells me at all times. The final choice is still mine. The real test will come this time next year when renewal is due!

14 comments:

  1. OMCs. if it is more aggravating than auto correct, which has been a major PITT today, I would pull my hair out.
    Hugs HiC

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  2. That sounds quite interesting, but it might frazzle the Momster beyond unfrazzling. By the way, whom should we call if you DO fall off that edge? BOL.

    Woos -Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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    1. Hari OM
      BOL.. well, I can laugh, but you raise an impawtant question, pupsters... Thanks for caring enough to enquire... may have to give some thought to that!!! Yxx

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  3. I like the ingrained kit. It keeps me on my toes; makes me say more with less, or at least as much with less. It doesn't change my mind, but it makes my mind think about its complaints. I disagree with the majority of the complaints, and exit the page underlined and blinking, but I have considered, for cause.

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    1. Hari OM
      Yes, Joanne, that is what I am finding... and sometimes it just is that I got it wrong; typing at speed and following thought flow simply mean there will be typos and, what is more, my head makes the sentences but the fingers frequently miss out whole words! There is also a letter dyslexia which seems to have developed with age. Therefore, as frustrating as it might be on occasion, I do believe it will be a boon. Am going to take a one-month subscription to the Full Monty and if all is well, will commit to a twelver... Yxx

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    2. Glad I'm not the only one to have developed ARD (age related dyslexia)!
      Cheers, Gail.

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  4. Well Aunty Yam, you would have thought that my Mum, being in the 'business' so to speak, would know all about writing and script apps but they don't let her anywhere near them in the office, sumthingy to do wiv numbers and bean counting having nuffin to do with words...probably safest...anythingy more complicated than an abacus confuses Mum
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  5. I have heard some bloggers/writers talk about it but have never tried it. Might although the red will drive me crazy!

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  6. As it had been a year since last tried Grammerly, I thought I'd give it another go... I use Firefox and they do have an option, but as I already have spell checker enabled for Firefox and get the red squiggles under the misspelled words, I've added it to Chrome and am trying it using Chrome over my winter break.
    So far I can say it has improved! I am much more impressed than I was the last time I looked at it!
    Ciao
    Barb

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  7. I think that it might drive me insane... but it would be interesting to try for a little.

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  8. I decided to write "nekked" without any helpers... the autocorrect is enough to embarrass myself with weird comments LOL

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  9. Hmm. Interesting, thanks. I'll have a look some time, in the spirit of trying to be open minded, although I suspect it might drive me crazy (or should that be even crazier...)
    Cheers! Gail.

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  10. I live in the US. Am becoming so very accustomed to ignoring things I do not agree with. That sentence would be in red. namaste janice xx

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