Writing is fraught with Whoops! moments.There's nothing like reading something I've written, only to groan in embarrassment. The groans grow louder when a critique partner discovers a blooper. Believe me, there's nothing worse than having an editor run across dumb mistakes.
Things that sound perfectly fine in everyday conversation come across differently in print.
EX: How do you pick up an elephant with one hand?
My husband immediately concocted a solution whereby the handler walks an elephant into an industrial elevator and pushes the button with one hand. Voila'!
Yes, BUT you see, the way it's phrased, the elephant supposedly has one hand! Whoops.
A local plumbing company has a radio ad. A woman whines, "Why can't anyone tell me how much it costs to clear my drain over the phone?"Um.... They can't clear a drain over the phone. No wonder they can't quote a price!
Tracie once read, "She went to the kitchen cupboard to get an aspirin for her headache she kept there."I don't know about you, but I keep food and dishes in my cupboards---not headaches!
Yet as I write, I sometimes use wrong word order to my advantage. Foreign languages employ different word order and the result can raise brows.
EX: My German heroine tells the hero, "Throw my horse over the fence some oats."
EX: Terror gripped Frieda. "Lord, please keep me safe. I need your help, God." She heard him coming. His boots rang out on the wooden planks..."
Hmmm. God wears cowboy boots!
So have you written, read, or heard a good Whoops! recently?
Cathy
nightowl that I am, I just watched a TV ad. "If you're worried about a friend or relative living alone like I am...."
ReplyDeleteThe actress continues to state her mother was placed in a retirement facility. But grammatically, she is confessing she lived alone, herself.
These things start popping out at ou once someone mentions such slip ups.
Cath
I won't divulge which crit partner did it, but one stated the mercantile owner stepped behind the counter to cut the cheese. Granted, it isn't a typo, but it is a genuine blooper.
ReplyDelete@ Kim, bahahaha! That's almost like saying "It was a cold, blustery day so the woman stood behind the wagon to break the wind."
ReplyDeleteOkay, okay I made that up. Just getting a little carried away here.
lol
Have a great day y'all. Love the post Cathy.
Hahaha! These are great...glad to know I'm not the only one to have "DOh!" moments. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat really helps--& somewhat humiliates me--is when I read it outloud under my breath. One of those moments where you go back & say, "Did I *really* just write that?"
What great examples! I'm in stitches over them, and Veronica's creativity impresses me.
ReplyDeleteMeghan, you're in good company. All authors manage to slip up. My contract with Bethany House Publishers actually allows them to edit in the event of "infelecitous wording."
I developed dyslexia from the concussion, and my dear hubby got me a program that reads my manuscript back to me. It's a great tool and saves me embarrassment at times.
Cath
Fun post, Cathy....always enjoy laughs!
ReplyDeleteWant to thank you and PJ for your prayers. I DID have epidural; has helped some, but think I'll have to get another one! Thanks for your encouragement.
Jackie Smith
Loved this post, Cath--and I was already giggling, THEN I read Kim's and Veronica's comments and LOL ! ~ Since you mentioned typos, there's a funny t-shirt advertised in a catalog: Bad Spellers of the World UNTIE. That always makes me laugh! Amazing how just switching the letters t and i make such a difference. ~ @Jackie, thank you for the update, and continued prayers for you! Hugs, PJ
ReplyDeleteJackie, Dearheart, they can repeat the epidural, do one of the opposite side, or inject lower/higher. They can also do an epidural with ablation where they burn the pain nerves. The procedure is dreadful, but the relief is long-lasting. Please don't try to be a hero or martyr. SPEAK UP so they can help you. My heart and prayers go out to you!
ReplyDeletePJ, I've seen that T-shirt! It's fun to hear the goofy things we write that transmit an entirely unintended (and embarrassing) meaning. So many bloopers are just one tiny switch of an adjacent letter. My all-time worst was when I accidentally hit a P instead of an O. I want to write about heroes. I want nothing to do with the typo! In His infinite mercy, God made me notice that horror immediately.
Cathy
Great examples, Cathy. And Kim, loved yours!
ReplyDeleteI heard a blooper on the news this week--and I'm not making light of the poor victim. The newscaster said, "Laird stabbed his mother to death twenty times with a knife."
One of my own goofs that still has me shaking my head is that I had my horse tiptoeing. Don't ask me why I wrote that. I can't begin to explain it, but it sure gave my crit group a good laugh.
Vickie, you're such a compassionate woman, I am certain you're not making light of the poor victim. You're commenting on the news writer's mistake. Indeed, once was all it took. No one can be killed twenty times!
ReplyDeleteROFLOL on your tiptoeing horse!
Cathy
Loving all the comments! I'm bursting at the seams with laughter.
ReplyDeleteMy most often made blooper in writing is when I mean YOU'RE but type YOUR... or the other way around. Usually I find the mistakes, but sometimes my mom does when she reads my work. At least my mistakes get found... most of the time. ;)
Blessings to you all,
Andrea