Now why in the world did this word end up on a gratitude list? Why, just today I had two separate rants about the downfall of the written word. You know, I am not perfect. I make typos and errors in grammar & word usage all the time. I reread things I’ve written & just scratch my head. But…
One of my favorite comic strips used this phrase: “You complain…more often THEN anyone I have ever known.” [emphasis added] Gah!
And then I saw this gem from the (self-published) book I’m currently reading: “The shirt was almost completely soaked with blood. He crawled into the front and leaned over the back of the seat to work on her leg. He untied it and tossed it outside on the ground.”
Gah again! Really? Why is he flinging her leg around? I’m enjoying the plot and the characters, but the book is filled with little gems like this (as well as misplaced or missing commas and the incorrect forms of words). The author needed a much better editor.
And how could we forget this? Sigh.
As I wrote the previous paragraphs I began to grasp why “editor” is something that makes me happy. I love it! I love finding typos and correcting things in my head. It’s like working a puzzle of some kind. Sure I enjoy reading books that don’t require my nit-picky brain, but I like the so-so ones where I can indulge my inner Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis too. I think I need to wear a little pillbox hat when I read those books. Ha!
[Edited because I put "wear those books" at the end instead of "read" - that made me laugh given the subject matter. Head. Desk.]
[Edited because I put "wear those books" at the end instead of "read" - that made me laugh given the subject matter. Head. Desk.]
Oh, wow! What a priceless book with legs flying about the place. What book is it? I 'Gah' when I see gaffes like that as well, so you're not alone.
ReplyDeleteArgent - it's Chosen by Denise Grover Swank. They story was pretty good, but I did shake my head a lot while reading it :)
ReplyDeleteMy wife is an editor with an eagle's eye for typos and grammar errors, and she points these out on TV commercials, and advertisements when we drive down the road. I see these when I'm reading but not at other times. I tend to read for structure and rhythm more than anything else.
ReplyDelete"They story was pretty good" eh, Bug? Working on your street cred?
ReplyDeleteAs proven by Carolina Linthead, everybody needs an editor.
ReplyDeleteSigh. Seriously!
ReplyDeleteSorry, dearest Bug...
ReplyDeleteDo I even have to say anything about this post? As a fellow Defender, I appreciate your constant efforts--in any capacity.
ReplyDeleteI always excuse any typos in my Comments area at the Dept. and at the Report, however; I know that blog discussions are informal and usually typed thought-quick. It's such a gift to have the back-and-forth that I don't want to ever discourage it.
But my own posts? It's almost Herculean, the struggle that I go through to make them perfect and lovely for you all. Sigh. I'm a little...oh, hell, SICK that way.
I see that even with books on the Bestseller list. I used to be a Proofreader many years ago.
ReplyDeleteI just like the idea of you in a pillbox hat.
ReplyDeleteYou'd go nuts reading medical charts. Do you recall the smoking cats my colleague charted about in the legal medical record? The family has three cats and they’re all heavy smokers. Poor kitties.
ReplyDeleteI love finding the gaffes.
While wearing the little pill box hat, you must take a photo for a State of the Bug shot!
ReplyDeleteI find myself editing not only the written word, but also the spoken word. I keep myself very busy, just thinking about how I SHOULD have said something :)