Tuesday, September 2, 2014

WRITERS NEED TO LAUGH AT THEIR OWN MIS-STEAKS


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Editing a manuscript after spending months writing enough words to call it a novel might not sound like a fun project. But think of the ego booster when you come across a word, a paragraph, or a scene that makes you gasp, "Wow, did I really write that?"
 
As you can see, I am now in the editing phase of my WIP. While there may be a few of those "Wow" moments, I expect more morments of, "Huh, what the heck did I mean by that?" I've marked one such area already in an early chapter and still haven't figured out what I was trying to say. I do suspect it sounded brilliant when I first wrote the words.
 
Another problem that pops up, often, is repeated words. I guess they sound so good the first time, I want to keep using them. Not the typing error: He went went to the store. More on the order of: Sally decided to make soup for lunch. Deciding she would probably enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich, also, she took out the bread. A decision about whether to have hot chocolate with the meal would have to wait.
 
Of course, it is your responsibility as a writer to laugh at your own mistakes, taking pleasure in actually spotting errors before the Beta readers get their hands on the MS and really embarrass you!
 
What kind of mistakes do you chuckle about when you're editing your first draft?
 
(I'm leaving for the airport in one hour for a three-week vacation on the mainland, so I'm not able to add the names of the co-hosts for September, but I will check in and visit blog sites.)
 
 


5 comments:

  1. Aloha Gail,

    Safe travels and I must admit that I admit to rarely using duplicate words, which admittedly is saying a lot, but when it comes to IWSG, we must admit to our faults :)

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  2. Hi Gail, Sarah here ^_^
    I haven't seen posts from you for such a long time, but if you were in editing mode, I understand.

    I've just finished the (I hope) last deep revision of my WIP and am so happy :-)

    What I chuckle about during revision? Mispelled words. Because English isn't my first language, sometimes it happes I know how to speak one word, but I'm not sure how it's spelt. So I end up trusting Word automatic corrector too much, because it does get a word that sounds like the one I want, but it's not the right spelling. Well, what can I say. Blessed be beta Readers ;-)

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  3. Your advice to laugh at our mistakes is so true - not just with writing, but in all our daily stumbles.

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  4. Enjoy your vacation!
    I repeat words often. And I have certain ones that I use way too often throughout the manuscript. That's what the search and destroy function of Word is for, right?

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  5. I don't make mistakes.

    Kidding! Of course I do (see me laughing at myself?).

    I live by the mantra that every first thing you write is crap that can always be cleaned up later. I don't have to be a janitor to know that this mindset works. :)

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