Typos, Brainos, and Freudian Slips

Sharon Mock · Jan 29, 2006

So, I've been giggling all day over a bit of... infelicitous wording I found during my morning edits:

She put his arm around his shoulders.

Nice trick, that!

Same manuscript, caught several months back:

The anomalous storm had not failed to escape Argiope's notice.

Yes, I was trying -- and failing -- to say she'd noticed the storm. (And yes, I occasionally tend to overwrite a bit.)

Then there was free reign, which in itself isn't that embarrassing, although I know better. No, what's embarrassing is that, despite several rounds of revisions and at least a dozen different pairs of eyes, it took a professional editor to catch it.

But my absolute favorite braino -- the one I think I shall never surpass -- the one I still remember vividly after almost twenty years:

The nuzzle of a gun pressed into the small of his back.

So what's yours?

StoryG27 · Jan 29, 2006

Oh I wish I could remember some good ones of mine. I know I sometimes think there should be a blooper section at the end of the book because some of my mistakes make me laugh so hard.

I remember once that a character had "amble breasts." Yes, her boobs were going for a little stroll. Gotta problem with that? (Obviously, it was supposed to be: ample)

I've had many characters that need to "clam" down. (meaning of course: calm)

I mix up 'form' and 'from' a lot and so many other little mistakes I can't think of right now.

I'll have to go through my old manuscripts and see if I can find some better ones. I know I've had many that have made me laugh.

kbax · Jan 29, 2006

I can't remember some of the interesting typos in my fiction, although I know I've caught more than a few that made me giggle. One of my biggest problems with typing, thought, is that darn C right next to the X...so, when I'm IMing my boss, i have to be very careful not to type, "Just a sex..."

It's happened a few times but, (thank GOD!) I caught it before I hit enter. Oh, the joys of 21st century communication....

ChaosTitan · Jan 29, 2006

I caught one just now as I was doing some editing.

"Why did you kill me in Des Moines?" she asked.

Should definitely be "Why didn't you kill me...?", as she is neither a ghost nor a vampire.

A beta reader caught this one, in a scene between a black-haired police captain and his blonde secretary.

She tucked a lock of blonde hair behind his ear.

Whoops! Puts them in a bit of a compromising position, doesn't it?

My roommate had an amusing typo in a manuscript that we still tease her about relentlessly. I don't recall the exact sentence use, but there were scientits in the scene, rather than scientists.

And to my utter embarrassment(although not novel related, thank God), I created oodles of pon'far jokes when I called Vulcans "Vulvans."

moblues · Jan 29, 2006

storygirl said:
Oh I wish I could remember some good ones of mine. I know I sometimes think there should be a blooper section at the end of the book because some of my mistakes make me laugh so hard.

I wish that I could have a Jackie Chan-type ending as a backcover, LOL. That is if I ever get published.

Mike

Cheryll · Jan 29, 2006

I once had a sentence that was supposed to read, "No more bowls of cold gruel." But what I typed was, "No more bowels of cold gruel."

Cheryll

BlackCrowesChick · Jan 29, 2006

Several times in the past few days, I've noticed that when I type the word blood I do a typo and write blook. I don't know why it happens, but I always catch it right away and fix it.

Jarsto · Jan 30, 2006

I can't think of many typos I've committed right away. But one that stands out is a description of squirrels as having "big tales". Yup, they're talkative little things who can't seem to stop boasting. Or maybe I really meant to write tails after all.

Niesta · Jan 30, 2006

This wasn't mine, personally, but I loved it. In a friend's SF novel, enemy ships were approaching at 5 o'clock (or some such) and he wrote: "The boogey alarm began to wail."

That's like a combination of "bogey" and "boogie" -- the crew all started dancing.

Loudernhel · Jan 30, 2006

Here are two of mine that made it into print:

I encouraged everyone to sign up for a "creative writhing" class.

I referred to the "Board of Pubic Education."

Sometimes spell checker is not your friend.

Maryn · Jan 30, 2006

A beta reader caught this in my recent pages:

Dorie sidestepped puddles and cracked sidewalks.

Boy, that's one heavy footstep Dorie's got, huh?

Maryn, who didn't see it herself

Ronni · Feb 1, 2006

"She closed her eyes and stared ahead."

WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL WAS I THINKING WHEN I WROTE THAT?

I blame it on the Nyquil.

KAP · Feb 1, 2006

I might consider a creative writhing class.

I catch so many odd things in my writing they run together, but a friend's inadvertent pov switch stands out in my memory. She was reading pages to our critique group and suddenly looked up. Our faces all showed the efforts of restrained laughter. "I switched into the dog's pov, didn't I?" she asked.

She had.

pepperlandgirl · Feb 1, 2006

Yesterday, I meant to type "raced" three different times in three different contexts. Each time, the word came out "raised."

Why? I have no idea.

TheIT · Feb 1, 2006

Mine tend to be multiple meanings:

"The soldier hoped he could fight with the general again one day."

I meant "alongside", not "against."

maestrowork · Feb 1, 2006

I caught these AFTER the book went into production... yikes:

"...hospital situated among the slumps of central Kowloon..." -- slums

"...he lowers my head and stares at his hands."

pconsidine · Feb 1, 2006

Loudernhel said:
I encouraged everyone to sign up for a "creative writhing" class.

Somewhere on the boards is a personal favorite of mine where I referred to being "kicked in the groin and writing on the floor."

Wonder what I'd be writing in that case. Probably "OUCH!" or a whole string of curse words.

TheIT · Feb 1, 2006

pconsidine said:
Somewhere on the boards is a personal favorite of mine where I referred to being "kicked in the groin and writing on the floor."

Wonder what I'd be writing in that case. Probably "OUCH!" or a whole string of curse words.

Any Monty Python and the Holy Grail fans out there? The Castle ARRRGGH, anyone? ("Well, that's what it says." "You don't write ARRRGGH, you say ARRRGGHH.")

luxintenebrae · Feb 1, 2006

Maybe he was dictating?? Haha, I love that part! :tongue

sirensix · Feb 7, 2006

How about:

Alex frowned and licked Mary furtively under the table.

The L and the K are just TOO close together.

Jeneral · Feb 7, 2006

I just found this one the other day. A character was refilling his beer glass:

Mark poured from the pitcher.

I suddenly pictured him on this log-flume type ride, shooting out the pitcher and riding the stream of beer to the splash pool below. Which was, of course, not the original intent.

SeanDSchaffer · Feb 7, 2006

Before I knew anything really about the business, and before I knew just how bad word processor spell checkers could be, I made up a copy of my first work to send to the U.S. Copyright Office for registration.

It was filled to the brim with errors, because many of the misspelled words were still real words.

The one that sticks in my mind the most, just because it sounds so strange as it does, goes:

"To flaunt your authority before all me, you mean!"

The original highlighted word was supposed to be 'men.'

I only thought to proofread it after I sent it in to the Copyright Office. To this day I feel like a complete idiot for having done it that way.

Shwebb · Feb 7, 2006

I used to work in the business office of a nursing home, and I composed a lot of memos and letters (because the administrator and office manager were impressed by my writing ability--imagine that!).

One day I had to write a lot of memos regarding nursing shifts. I kept leaving out the "f." Fortunately, I caught the errors before memo distribution.

mkcbunny · Feb 7, 2006

My keyboard speed is off, and despite making repeated adjustments, it just types multiple letters on occassion. So I'll have "too" instead of 'to," plus extra "l"s, "f"s, and "s"s. If it results in a sspelling error [oh, look; it did it right there!], I can catch it, but the "to" / "too" will be highly embarassing if I don't. I do keep trying to adjust, but somehow it doesn't ever match my typing speed correctly.

As for finger-related errors, I type "form" instead of "from" all the time.

Mac H. · Feb 7, 2006

It works the other way, too - WE get it right but the computer decides to change it.

eg:On the critique board here: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26196

Ben runs out a long spool of wire, and attachés one end to the Morse set.

Mac

Typos, Brainos, and Freudian Slips

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