Really? Did I really just read that right? Did I really write that?
Yes. Yes, I did.
I was skimming through The First Night (Book One) looking for a few of my favorite lines to add to its listing on Shelfari… and there it was, staring me right in the face, mocking me through my computer screen. I couldn’t believe it. But wait! This is the word document. Maybe I fixed it when I converted it to epub…?
Nope.
“Fire in the whole!” she screamed.
I’m not an idiot. I know the difference between “whole” and “hole”. I know I don’t “fall in a whole” and I don’t eat “hole wheat bread.” I don’t even eat “whole wheat bread.” I know it’s better for me, but it tastes like cardboard.
But anyway…
It makes me wonder: what other obvious typos have I missed? How many times did I proofread and edit and proofread and edit, only to find this elementary error while skimming?
I apologize. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, especially when it comes to my writing. I’ve never met a writer who isn’t and I don’t think I want to. But the beauty of an ebook is that this can be fixed. I can simply correct my error(s) and re-upload the book. This will be done when I upload Book Three of The First… which will be soon.
rich
/ June 13, 2012no big deal. i recently typed “here” instead of “hear.” not sure about you, but i type fairly quickly, about 70 words per minute. and if you type like that, then you know that sometimes you get into a flow and things just keep going and your fingers are flying and it feels really cool almost like it does right now and you don’t want to stop unless there’s an obvious typo to go back and get like i did a few times in this one big-ass sentence like now. (inhale) anyway, when you type like that, as you might know even better than me, sometimes you’re thinking in sound instead of script because you’re almost talking to yourself as you’re typing. anyway, as i said, no big deal.
M.S. Fowle
/ June 13, 2012Best. Comment. Ever.
So true
Thank you
rich
/ June 13, 2012ever? well, i don’t know, i mean – OKAY!!!
T. W. Dittmer
/ June 13, 2012I think you look at it and read so many times that you’re not really seeing what’s on the screen. Sometimes printing it makes things show up, but sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes or letting it sit there for a while.
M.S. Fowle
/ June 13, 2012You’re right – I see what I wanted to write and not what I actually wrote. I know printing it out helps, but I’m a bit of penny pincher and hate using up my printer ink. It shouldn’t really matter though – if I don’t use it, it just dries up anyway. It’s a conspiracy.
cheechakoblog
/ June 13, 2012I’ve gotten names mixed up. Embarrassing.
M.S. Fowle
/ June 13, 2012What’s embarrassing is when I call my husband by one of my character’s names. Good thing he gets me…
davidmcgowan
/ June 13, 2012Haha, I love it!
M.S. Fowle
/ June 13, 2012Better to laugh at myself than be mad at myself for it – train my brain to be a bit more careful.
magicmint
/ June 13, 2012You’re not alone!
M.S. Fowle
/ June 13, 2012thank you
Kat
/ June 13, 2012Aw, you shouldn’t worry at all! There are typos in printed published books and those people have agents and copy editors looking over it as well and still miss things! Plus, as you said, you can change while in print format someone can come up to you in ten years and point out your errors
M.S. Fowle
/ June 13, 2012thanks
and I did think about “had it been in print” – I think I’m starting to like technology.
fivereflections
/ June 13, 2012those sneaky correctly spelled words slide through a spellchecker, but i’m not sure if a grammar checker would pick it up? i don’t have one installed for some reason.