Writing is one skill. Editing is another. Often they dovetail nicely, with the former providing content while the latter shines it up. There are sometimes tributes to the editor in the forward of a book, articulating the vital part they played in the process. Looking for mistakes is a crucial ingredient in the publishing world.
I am not nor do I have an editor. On occasion grammatically savvy friends will point out the error of my ways. Nicely. But by the time they read it it is too late, having already hit the SEND button. It seems like a pathetic idea to forward corrections.
"Remember yesterday when I said 'fool hearty'? It should have been foolhardy.'
It was a foolhardy attempt at a play on words.
Still if I go on to republish these vignettes in a collection, which has happened three times, I have a chance to get it right. Or at least righter.
Having a discerning eye for mistakes creates better copy. I want the book in my hands, or the sign on the street to be accurate. Unless of course it's funny.
"Your car will be towed and you will find $50"
"No smoking aloud"
"We bye cars"
Still I wonder what kind of slant it engenders in a person's character. If you spend all day hunting for misprints, and are paid good money to do so, how do you turn it off? If someone begins to tell a memory, and their partner corrects the details, it may not add to the sparkle of the tale.
"No, it was twelve years ago."
"No, we were living in New Jersey at the time."
It is my intention to resist the knee jerk reflex to correct the people around me. It could go a long way toward encouraging them to keep talking.
