The other day I found out I was wrong about something I was absolutely SURE I'd been right about. After all, I had a lot of company, and we'd been doing this a while! What have so many of us been doing wrong? We've been putting two spaces after a period where there should only be one.
When fellow writer Ron Tew passed this advice on from an editor, I made a joke about the editor's credentials. Then I looked it up here http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/OneSpaceorTwo.html?old= and saw for myself. It seems two spaces are going the way of the typewriter, and the double-spacers of the world will have to adapt.
Being wrong when I'd been so sure I was right was unsettling. What else could I be wrong about? Was I wrong about the spelling of Colombia? Had I been writing with the wrong hand all my life? Could cats actually make good pets?
It hasn't taken long to adjust to the single space, which is good. I've been busy keeping my eyes open for other changes in this unpredictable world, and I've been trying to keep a more open mind since it turns out I don't know everything. Our new kitten Spock is a cuddly, hilarious, and constant reminder that this die-hard dog-lover can be wrong, and that's okay.
So, have you been wrong lately?
Using one only one space after a period comes from the world of journalism; it dates back to the early days of typesetting when every teeny-tiny bit of space was precious. No need to use two. Some words, like adviser instead of advisor are also used in journalism -- I don't know if it's because of space or if the "o" clogged up with ink. I hope I'm wrong that newspapers are a thing of the past.
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