Stupid typos!

[Jada59]

I have a tendency to make mistakes and don't always catch them despite reading over a story many times. And my spell checker doesn't always catch them as it might be that I left out a word, used the wrong word or the right word, wrong spelling. Examples are "plane" when I meant to use "plain" and "coming" instead of "cumming". Seems each of my stories has at least one such. I know there is a way to correct this after the story is published but it seems like it would be a hassle just to change one word.

Does anyone else deal with this? If so, how do you deal with it? Yesterday I read the story out loud, submitted it, then noticed the mistake at the end as I was closing the Word document. Help! Thanks!

 

[KeithD]

Does anyone else deal with this?

Just about everyone (just being polite. The answer is everyone, including those who claim they are perfect). I deal with it by putting it aside (usually) for at least a day before reviewing it (but I don't beat it to death with lots of reviews), having it edited by someone who has training in editing, and then reviewing it again after cleaning up the edit. The copy still isn't perfect, but if I was sending it to a publisher, they would have it edited again (and it still wouldn't be perfect) and, for Literotica . . . well, Literotica isn't the New Yorker. Sticklers on presentation in Literotica story deserve to choke on their indignation.

 

[Jada59]

Just about everyone (just being polite. The answer is everyone, including those who claim they are perfect). I deal with it by putting it aside (usually) for at least a day before reviewing it (but I don't beat it to death with lots of reviews), having it edited by someone who has training in editing, and then reviewing it again after cleaning up the edit. The copy still isn't perfect, but if I was sending it to a publisher, they would have it edited again (and it still wouldn't be perfect) and, for Literotica . . . well, Literotica isn't the New Yorker. Sticklers on presentation in Literotica story deserve to choke on their indignation.

Thanks! I generally give it a day but I've even found mistakes in things I wrote years ago. Glad to know I'm not alone though!

 

[KeithD]

Thanks! I generally give it a day but I've even found mistakes in things I wrote years ago. Glad to know I'm not alone though!

Anything you wrote/had published "years ago" is, as the song goes, Water under the Bridge.

 

[Hypoxia]

LIT word donors (authors) with nothing to occupy copious free time (oh-dark-thirty) may perfect (fix) and resubmit their masterpieces (strokers), sure. It's a hot moral issue. The universe is out of balance when our spewings aren't *just* right. We can't have reality go spinning off-axis, now can we? Of course not! Fix every fuckup! Before it's too late.

 

[RetroFan]

Being an Australian, I am very careful to use 'Mom' in my stories set in the US and Canada, and Mum for those set in England, Australia and New Zealand.

However, I have slipped up and used 'Mum' in an American story, and 'Mom' in a story set in the UK.

Another time, my main character was called 'Dino', but on one occasion in the story I messed up and called him 'Dion'.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I miss things like that all the time and I usually don’t leave enough time for my volunteer editor to go thru my stories before I have to submit them. So sad to bad it’s a free site and I don’t get paid. And I don’t waste time going back to clean up minor details. Or even more visible ones. For my publisher I will edit, my volunteer editor will edit and my publisher will edit. And as KeithD said, even then things slip thru. Fact of life and I’m not anal about it. I’d rather go on and write something else.

 

[oggbashan]

My usual fault is names. When I start a story I use vanilla names until the character gets established in my mind and takes on a personality. Then I change the name to fit the character but despite Word's Find/Replace I might miss some particularly with 's at the end, or slightly misspelt.

 

[Voboy]

Same as everyone else.

I catch most things. If I miss them, it’s not a huge deal; once published, the error stays. I’m not George Lucas. I don’t feel a need to “fix” what, according to my readers, ain’t broke.

I don’t draft, and I make changes as I go. Usually that process is nearly instantaneous; 99% of what appears in published form is exactly what flowed off my fingers. Anything else is too much like work, and I ain’t getting paid for this.

 

[TxRad]

Typos and errors. They breed on the fly.

Like KeithD said. Even mainstream has them.

I edit as I type and leave things sitting for a few days and recheck. I change the font, I read aloud. All those catch errors but... Sometimes for my Lit stories I'll have someone else read them. Most of the time I'm asking them to check flow and what parts are stupidly wrong.

I do most of the same for my mainstream stuff and then i send it to my editor. We thrash on it several times, she sends it to three different proofreaders and then she goes over it again. Then I get another go at it. At least five sets of eyes have had a look at it.

I get my promotional copies and I open the first page with a big grin on my face. Before the end of the first page there is an error or typo. Letters in words like to fuck with authors.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Yep, yep, yep. You can proofread a thousand times. Fix all those pesky little typos and correct word usage, have someone proofread it and then publish it and ten words into the first paragraph... bingo! WTF? How did I miss that?

Or sometimes you get to the last paragraph and it's riddled with wrong words, typos, misspellings... and you just rage inside wondering how this happened.

Even after all the spell checking and multiple runs of Grammarly, you still don't have it right. \ <----- see!

 

[SimonDoom]

All the time, and it drives me crazy. I pride myself on being a good speller and knowing grammar well, but you wouldn't always know it by looking the mistakes I make.

I've only sent in one correction. I had written the name of a female character from a previous story in place of the correct name in the current one, and it made no sense. A commenter noted the mistake.

You will get critics who chide you for this or that spelling error or typo, but in general Lit audiences are fairly forgiving. You'll see stories with high scores that have been poorly edited.

 

[JanusGoneAwry]

Being Dyslexic makes the whole process of catching typos incredibly difficult so in addition to Word's or (insert authoring application of choice here) spelling checker, I also upload my text to Grammarly. Between the three checks, me, Pages and Grammarly the majority of typos get caught. Never 100% but 99% or so which is pretty good all things considered.

Like others on this thread, once published I don't worry about warts bc those are the fingerprints of reality IMHO.

 

[Privates1stClass]

Stupid typos!

I have a tendency to make mistakes and don't always catch them despite reading over a story many times. And my spell checker doesn't always catch them as it might be that I left out a word, used the wrong word or the right word, wrong spelling. Examples are "plane" when I meant to use "plain" and "coming" instead of "cumming". Seems each of my stories has at least one such. I know there is a way to correct this after the story is published but it seems like it would be a hassle just to change one word.

Does anyone else deal with this? If so, how do you deal with it? Yesterday I read the story out loud, submitted it, then noticed the mistake at the end as I was closing the Word document. Help! Thanks!

I've had the same problems. My solution has been to trade off with another author to proofread each other's stories. Having a second set of eyes on your story helps a lot, especially when spell checkers don't catch your errors.

 

[49greg]

I proof myself as well, and let a lot go through, even after many readings. I generally read through what I've written previously when I come back to an unfinished one, even when I go back again and again.

Another tip I got from a thread on the forum some time ago, is to not only let the story alone for a while, but to print it out and read it on 'real' paper, with pen in hand to do corrections with.

But typos still get through. As someone already said, they breed like flies. Only faster.

 

[Madelyne13]

I have a tendency to make mistakes and don't always catch them despite reading over a story many times. And my spell checker doesn't always catch them as it might be that I left out a word, used the wrong word or the right word, wrong spelling. Examples are "plane" when I meant to use "plain" and "coming" instead of "cumming". Seems each of my stories has at least one such. I know there is a way to correct this after the story is published but it seems like it would be a hassle just to change one word.

Does anyone else deal with this? If so, how do you deal with it? Yesterday I read the story out loud, submitted it, then noticed the mistake at the end as I was closing the Word document. Help! Thanks!

I have a problem with this. Not only with typos but any mistakes I make. My problem comes from Parkinson's. My concentration levels can be very low. Best way to proof read is to read out loud but I find that I am more likely to spot errors if I leave proof checking to a different day. I am more likely to take in what is there rather than just see what I intended.

 

[Hypoxia]

I reduced the typo rate in my Stanley Steamer series by writing before and during two cataract surgeries, after numerous retinal and other procedures. My eyes were so shot, I had to boost screen fonts hugely and peer carefully at every keystroked character, no skimming allowed. Call it enforced mindfulness. I still managed to flop some names -- but nobody caught that, and I scored high, so there it is.

James Joyce was so blind, he wrote freehand on a big whiteboard and wore a white suit to reflect more light on the page. (Maybe that's why ULYSSEES reads as it does.) Do I recommend eye damage for writers? Try it and see. [ha]

 

[TxRad]

I reduced the typo rate in my Stanley Steamer series by writing before and during two cataract surgeries, after numerous retinal and other procedures. My eyes were so shot, I had to boost screen fonts hugely and peer carefully at every keystroked character, no skimming allowed. Call it enforced mindfulness. I still managed to flop some names -- but nobody caught that, and I scored high, so there it is.

James Joyce was so blind, he wrote freehand on a big whiteboard and wore a white suit to reflect more light on the page. (Maybe that's why ULYSSEES reads as it does.) Do I recommend eye damage for writers? Try it and see. [ha]

I tried it. Blind in my right eye and cataracts in the left. Legally blind. I got one hell of a story out of it but it was written after my cataract surgery.

Blindmans Bluff

 

[KeithD]

I might note that each time you review a story to pound out the mistakes, you most likely will be introducing a few new mistakes. That's just the way it is.

 

[NotWise]

I might note that each time you review a story to pound out the mistakes, you most likely will be introducing a few new mistakes. That's just the way it is.

I know I need to quit editing when my edits add as many mistakes as they correct.

 

[Athalia]

Being an Australian, I am very careful to use 'Mom' in my stories set in the US and Canada, and Mum for those set in England, Australia and New Zealand.

However, I have slipped up and used 'Mum' in an American story, and 'Mom' in a story set in the UK.

Another time, my main character was called 'Dino', but on one occasion in the story I messed up and called him 'Dion'.

Actually, I've heard "Mum" or "Mumma" from time to time here in the United States, usually in the American southeastern area.

But going back to the topic, I've found that it helps to change both the font style and size. It's amazing how otherwise missed typos pop out.

 

[Jada59]

Thanks everyone!

 

[erectus123]

opps prize

I'd suggest the story with the most errors be given an award.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I might note that each time you review a story to pound out the mistakes, you most likely will be introducing a few new mistakes. That's just the way it is.

Ain't that the truth! There's a spiral down point to the minimum errors possible, and if edit time goes past that magical point, you just spiral up your error count. All you can do is your absolute best, using every trick you know to catch the pesky little things.

 

[lustatopia]

Ain't that the truth! There's a spiral down point to the minimum errors possible, and if edit time goes past that magical point, you just spiral up your error count. All you can do is your absolute best, using every trick you know to catch the pesky little things.

TRick I usez to reDuse Typo Errors.

1. Get up and take a walk or a swim, then comes back to the edit.
2. Print you story out to edit it with a pencil.
3. Get someone you know to proff read it.
4. Sleep on it, laterally.
5. Give up and delete whole documint after you print copy and mail it to youreslf, that way you have a severzl say break.
6. Do not edit while drink.