Intent on destroying whatever vestiges of self esteem I have left following several weeks revising the newest novel, Jerz's Literary Weblog slyly and cruelly directed me to The OK Cupid Commonly Confused Words Test .

"Good communication is not necessarily about using an expansive vocabulary. It is about properly using the words and punctuation you already know."

My puny Exceptional score (100% Beginner, 93% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 72% Expert) isn't exactly anything to write home about for someone who's a writer, particularly since at least half the OK Cupid members listed on the page, who had recently taken the test, made English Genius level.

What can be gleaned from this, I'm not sure. Perhaps that writing is more than grammar and the teachers who told me I'd never be able to write if I couldn't diagram a sentence were wrong.

One thing it demonstrates for certain is why it is Mary who's copyediting the manuscript right now.