Typos in stories... theory and questions

[warmAmber]

Maybe it's just the stories I read, but maybe 20 to 25% have small typos in them and maybe some minor grammar things.

As a "wanna-be" writer on Lit I've read where editing is key, yet these typos, etc. get through.... so my question is:

Do these stories get through because they are good enough in spite of the typos? Do some authors get a "freebie" on it? Is it lazy editing? Or, my theory.. that these slight typos lend an air of "the average citizen" writing an erotic story and make the stories seem more real?

Just something that's bugged me as I've read stories over the years. Any thoughts or futher conspiracy theories are welcomed. *s* (and please excuse my typos and grammar things) - Amber

 

[Vermilion]

Maybe it's just the stories I read, but maybe 20 to 25% have small typos in them and maybe some minor grammar things.

As a "wanna-be" writer on Lit I've read where editing is key, yet these typos, etc. get through.... so my question is:

Do these stories get through because they are good enough in spite of the typos? Do some authors get a "freebie" on it? Is it lazy editing? Or, my theory.. that these slight typos lend an air of "the average citizen" writing an erotic story and make the stories seem more real?

Just something that's bugged me as I've read stories over the years. Any thoughts or futher conspiracy theories are welcomed. *s* (and please excuse my typos and grammar things) - Amber

They slipped through the net. Simple as that. Also, the screening process has, I believe, become more rigorous of recent years, so there may be more errors in older stories.

Trust me, no matter how much editing you do on a story there will always be one or two mistakes that you miss and not everybody is as scrupulous as those here.

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V

 

[keeblercrumb]

For myself, small typo's and grammatical errors, etc. are the direct result of trying to "self edit". It is extremely difficult for me (and others, I suspect) because I will "read" what I meant as opposed to what is actually on the paper. As a result, of course, is that no matter how many times I try find them, it is only when the story is posted that I suddenly notice them (all) standing out with flashing lights!

Hence, the need for someone else to edit it for me.... But for these little "porn" stories, it just doesn't seem that important. If a story is arousing me, the blood is rushing to other places than my brain. At worse, these typo's (in other people's work) are only a minor distraction and I do not base my opinion of the story on them.

Besides, it is hard(sic) typing with only one hand.

-KC

 

[starrkers]

Typos will always sneak through occasionally - we see what we expect to see.

I have hardback books with typos. My copy of Stephen King's On Writing has one I spotted, it may have more I didn't. Shows it was written, edited, proofed and published by humans. We make mistakes.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I was at school the other day; in an English classroom. I saw some visual-aids on a wall, one of them said 'PILLIARS." The teacher gave me a hand-out that contained several misspelled words, too.

 

[CrazyCatGuy]

i'm sure you've seen this before, but it explains itself perfectly.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aodccrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde unervtisy, it dnsoe't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the hmuan mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azmanig isn't it?

Also, similar things happen with software spellchecks, since after it replace the typo with a correctly spelled word, it might still be wrong in the context (and i don't mean it's/its). I can't think of an real example, as it doesn't happen very often, but i've saw this a few times when i was writing my own story. It happens more often when you try to spell a big word phonetically. A flimsy example that kinda shows what i mean is this:

The Army doctrin states that...
--> after spell check:
The Army doctor in states that...
--> What it's supposed to be:
The Army doctrine states that...

Most stories have typos in them if you look for them, i'd think. I don't think i've seen a single textbook without them either. Mistakes, it happens.

 

[Vermilion]

Yes, and of course the difference between a typo and a spelling error must be emphasised. Typos are forgiveable and easy to miss. Spelling errors - considering that a) an author ought to be able to spell and b)everyone has spellchecker these days - ought to be unforgiveable in most instances.

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[keeblercrumb]

Yes, and of course the difference between a typo and a spelling error must be emphasised. Typos are forgiveable and easy to miss. Spelling errors - considering that a) an author ought to be able to spell and b)everyone has spellchecker these days - ought to be unforgiveable in most instances.

x
V

Perhaps..... but all that sex stuff is very distracting. Again... that is why God created copy editors.... so us creative artistic types can be.... creative.

Seems like in every book I read, the author prefaces his work with his/her undying appreciation for their editor....

I would agree, however, that anybody writing "anal" sex should have all the words spelled correctly and typos fixed.



-KC

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Seems like in every book I read, the author prefaces his work with his/her undying appreciation for their editor....
-KC

There was one author that I used to enjoy that always had a few errors in their work, but not too many. One day, they started praising their editor, but the number or errors was sky high all of a sudden. It was like it was written by two different people. I don't know who that editor was, but the typos, grammatical errors, and misused words were numerous, and inexcusable. The stories were still hot, but I would never use that editor again if I were them.

 

[Pure]

is it an editor's job to look for typos? i do catch lots and fix them, but i also say, 'i've caught 90%, in the process of editing. get a professional proof reader if you want to find all.'

 

[herecomestherain]

No conspiracy as far as I can tell. I do what I can and write in the little time available to do so - a few typos here and there get through, I regret that and I hate it when the story gets up and you find errors but if I wait for it to be "perfect" the story may never see the light of day. I hope that doesn't come across as slack, I don't have time to offer editing to anyone in return for editing for me at the moment.

 

[TE999]

Two words: Murphy's Law.

I have proofed (and had proofed) stories repeatedly and still the typos sneak through like ants under a windowsill.

Not surprisingly they always appear after a storys' been posted. Grrrrr.

 

[glynndah]

Our stories are perfect when we submit them. Those bots they have vetting the stories slip one in each time they read through them as a way of keeping count. Once the story has been reviewed enough times, as evident by the number of typos, it is posted on Lit.

It's the only explanation that makes any sense to me.

 

[Guest]

Well, that's all very plausible, but...

Our stories are perfect when we submit them. Those bots they have vetting the stories slip one in each time they read through them as a way of keeping count. Once the story has been reviewed enough times, as evident by the number of typos, it is posted on Lit.

It's the only explanation that makes any sense to me.

...I really think you're overlooking the dreaded Gremlins of Typeaux Vale... a band of renegade story saboteurs who, having already conquered the world of Consumer Products, and finding the world of Print lacking in challenge, transmuted themselves into electrons and entered the virgin territory of Literotica through an undefended portal in a little-frequented coffee shop.

They now operate as a fifth cloumn--

DAMN! There's one of the pesky little bastards again!!!

 

[EmeraldKitten]

If it's a couple-few typos, I don't care. But if the whole story is full of them it confuses me and I stop reading.
I know how frustrating it is as a writer- you read and re-read and you think it's perfect. Then once it's posted there is a glaring error and it pisses ya off, lol.
I tend to read my story how it's supposed to be too.
I don't generally have spelling errors, but the word will be wrong.
This is why it's best to have someone proof-read for you, but, as it's been said, we're only human and we miss things too.
I have tons of books with wrong spellings or the wrong word. It happens.

 

[MarshAlien]

I am an absolutely horrible proofreader of my own work, right up until the minute that it is posted. Then I see all of the typos as if they alone were printed in 24-point Bodoni Bold.

 

[oggbashan]

Typos are a fact of life, so are authorial errors.

I noticed some of both in my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They don't matter as long as you know what the author meant.

Printing errors can be much worse. I bought a copy of a rare paperback only to find that about twenty pages were repeated, and the following twenty pages missing. The book was the size it should have been so was missed on quality checks. All I could do with it was recycle the paper.

It took me two years to find a complete copy.

Og

 

[sr71plt]

Pick up any book and you'll also find small-scale typos and grammar mistakes, and words pronounced alike but with different spellings/meanings (e.g., their/there, its/it's). There's no such thing as perfect copy, and the content is more important than the presentation/formatting. There is a threshold, though, where the mistakes intrude on an appreciative read of the stories. That threshold is likely to be (and certainly can be) lower on an erotoic Internet site than in a book professionaly published for profit. The main problem is that the threshold is different for different readers and the readers who will comment on the grammar of the story are often anal retentive on that aspect and weren't going to emphasize savoring the content of the story anyway.

When folks here tell you to get an editor to go over your stories before posting, they actually mean to get a second reader to help you minimize the technical problems that will intrude into the read. There aren't that many real editors here. Don't count on getting an "editor" here (or in the professional editor world, for that matter) and winding up with perfect copy that someone won't try to pick apart (usually on the basis of minimal knowledge themselves).

 

[sweetness6280]

As everyone has stated here, typos are inevitable. CrazyCatGuy posted that paragraph that most of us have seen about the mind's ability to "fill in the gaps" between what we are seeing and what we think we are seeing. I had a professor for Advanced Comp who gave us a technique to help fight this, although it is time consuming. Read your paper/story/chapter backwards. Starting at the end, take one sentence at a time and read it. It will "trick" your mind by helping you to see the sentence isolated from the flow of the story.

But remember, nothing in life is purrfect. [sic]

 

[MarshAlien]

As everyone has stated here, typos are inevitable. CrazyCatGuy posted that paragraph that most of us have seen about the mind's ability to "fill in the gaps" between what we are seeing and what we think we are seeing. I had a professor for Advanced Comp who gave us a technique to help fight this, although it is time consuming. Read your paper/story/chapter backwards. Starting at the end, take one sentence at a time and read it. It will "trick" your mind by helping you to see the sentence isolated from the flow of the story.

But remember, nothing in life is purrfect. [sic]

I tried that once, and realized that my story was actually better that way. NEVER AGAIN! Write it, read it, ship it. I know, it's a sic-ness.

 

[sweetness6280]

I tried that once, and realized that my story was actually better that way. NEVER AGAIN! Write it, read it, ship it. I know, it's a sic-ness.

All my favorite people are [sic].

 

[MarshAlien]

All my favorite people are [sic].

And you're still a virgin??

 

[Guest]

edited

 

[sweetness6280]

And you're still a virgin??

Amazingly, yes. Is there a cure?

 

[Anna_Malia75]

Amazingly, yes. Is there a cure?

Post damn you, post!

http://bestsmileys.com/whipping/1.gif

Oh, I'm sorry. Were you talking about something else?

Seriously, welcome to Lit!