When you think of the phrase “blind spot”, what do you think of? Which blind spots are you aware of? Though “blind spots” are commonly referred to as areas in our life where we find it hard to ” exercise judgment or discrimination” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.), they can also be found in other things we do, such as writing.
Yet even within the writing world, there exist a myriad of blind spots people may be (un)aware of. For example, undertaking research with a clear and valid methodology, which when reviewed by academic tutors (or proofreaders), is seen to be lacking in clarity. Additionally, in other areas of academic writing, biases can creep in when we initially believed we were being impartial. Elsewhere, in the genre of creative writing, authors may not be completely aware of how well-structured a book or sequence is, or think all the main characters have been well drawn. However, in these instances, blind spots occurred because writers were not aware they were making such mistakes. In fact, they probably thought they were doing the opposite.
Blind spots can also occur in our use of written language. Regardless of how experienced you are as a writer, we all have blind spots in our writing. For example, these can be areas where we habitually make a mistake with a spelling, a plural or a wrong word. Sometimes we are immediately aware of the mistake, and other times we need to repeat it habitually for us to become familiar with it. However, regardless of familiarity, when we are typing too quickly, the mistake can be made more often than had we been typing slowly. That is one reason why we need to proofread our work.
Your
My own (main) blind spot is when I type “you” instead of “your”, and I have no idea why I do it! Mentally I am typing “your” but by the time that signal travels from my brain to my fingers, I have typed “you”. Thankfully it does not happy all the time, but it is something I always need to be aware of. Some people might believe that as a proofreader, blind spots are things I should not have, because I need to be precise and accurate at all times. However, this is missing the point. As a proof reader, it is important that I am aware of what I am doing when I write, because it is this awareness that helps me to navigate language on the page. Indeed, it is this awareness that allows me to focus when I am proofreading and maintain it without being complacent.
If you are reading this, take a moment to reflect and be honest about your own blind spots. Remove the unhelpful concept of perfection and instead realise that blind spots are our friends – helping us to remember that writing is a process which is never truly finished.
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Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Blind spot. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blind%20spot