Quote Originally Posted by Spectre
There are several stories on this site that match my interest, but are either unreadable or difficult to follow. Nothing breaks my mood faster than having to pause and try to decipher what the word should be or what the author is trying to say. I have gone to the effort of copying the text into WORD so I can run a spellcheck on it to make an otherwise enjoyable story readable.

While I understand that English may not be an authors first language or spelling may be difficult for various reasons, most text editors have a spellcheck if not grammar check. I use them because I find myself reading something I wrote and knowing what I wanted to say, then having spellcheck catch items I missed.

I have seen others offer (and I would be willing) to proofread stories for authors. It may take time and effort, but if you are willing to take the time to write a story for others to read, why not spend a little time to polish it up?
I just have to echo this statement. I don't understand how so many stories exist on the site with major flaws in the spilling end thuh grimmer. All these authors would have to do is post a request on the forum for a proof-reader and they would be guaranteed willing volunteers.

I have seen stories with great potential have their meanings completely obliterated by the language. I've actually emailed authors and begged them to let me proof-read their next story, but got no answer. It's as if people just don't care.

The other one that really gets me--lack of paragraph breaks. I won't review a story that consists of one long paragraph simply because I won't read it.