Dictionary

"A dictionary?  No one carries around a dictionary.  Don't you mean dictionary dot com?" gripes our new tech generation.  Listen, I can't tell you how helpful always having a dictionary around has been.  As a self-published author, I see value in having a physical book right at my fingertips that I can immediately access without waiting for a damn webpage to load or for a computer to boot up.  Nowadays folks seem satisfied with an online urban dictionary's definitions of words; so much so that they won't even consider looking for words on sites like Merriam-Webster or Oxford Dictionaries.

Whether you use a physical or an online dictionary, the point is, you'll need constant access to this resource if you plan to write a book.  I can't tell you how often I run into people of all ages who are horrible spellers.  Someone can come across as very articulate.  Yet when they transfer their thoughts into the written word, the truth of their illiteracy comes to light.  Therefore, don't rely on your computer's 'spell-check' feature to edit the book for you. It does not catch all grammatical or contextual mistakes.

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