I’m so swamped. Hence the lack of blog. Because not only is there a ton of work-work to do, but my brother-in-law got Rock Band for Christmas, and that needs to be seen to as well. We’re quite the band, SB, SB’s brother, and I.
Just kidding. It’s mostly work. Interesting discovery of the day. Sometimes, my fingers like to type their own thing, like some bizarre inter-body version of telephone, with the result that words sometimes only bear a vague resemblance to the word I meant to type. This not only confuses critique partners and copy editors, but it also confuses the author when she gets back the notes and tries to figure out what the critique partners and editors THOUGHT she was trying to say. Bless them, they usually take the typo at face value, then go into elaborate contortions trying to make the rest of the sentence make sense in light of the typo.
For instance: “she lowered her face into a whisper.” Note: “lowered her face in order to whisper?” “Face” sounds odd here. Should it be “head?”
I think it’s because, to my finger-ears, face sounds like voice.
For further instance: “I liked it better when uniforms were imaginary.” Note: Perhaps something about how they’re being forced to wear uniforms? There’s nothing else about their uniforms in the chapter.
Ah, you know those crazy killer uniforms.
My finger-ears may need a hearing aid. Or a leering raid. Whatever.
I have new boots to traipse about Europe in. I’m remarkably excited about them. They’ll go well with all the new socks Santa brought me for Christmas. (Yes, new socks. Want to make something of it? They’re super swanky. SmartWool.)
Now, if only I could convince SB to pack. Or, you know, get a costume for the masquerade ball. I have mine. Petticoat and all.
December 29th, 2007 at 2:47 am
I do the same thing. Malaprop typos. They usually make me laugh, but I can imagine how much they’d confuse someone else.
So about the boots . . . you gotta picture or a link?
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December 29th, 2007 at 8:19 am
I am so calling your book the killer uniform book from now. Diana and her insane uniforms!
Justine
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December 29th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Yeah, like Gina, sometimes my fingers do the walking all by themselves. They type a word they’re used to typing instead of the one I told them to type. Very recalitrant of them.
As for the killer uniforms, the only thing you can do is spend an hour or two a day typing “unicorns,unicorns, unicorns,” until you have re-trained your errant fingers. Either that, or get a dictation program – which will open up a whole new slew of interesting variations on what you really meant to say!
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December 29th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Case in point: I told them to type “recalcitrant” and they went their own way…
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December 29th, 2007 at 9:47 am
“face” would have confused me as to what you meant. Don’t know why, possibly because I can picture someone lowering their face/head and THEN whispering.
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December 29th, 2007 at 10:23 am
I completely understand the reader’s confusion. I’m the one at fault here. I just find it all amusing. I mean, who types face when they mean voice? I sat there for a while going, “Did I really suggest that Jenny was lowering her FACE?!?!?! What is this, a John Woo film?”
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December 29th, 2007 at 10:49 am
giggle
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December 30th, 2007 at 1:34 am
My favorite is when i do that as i am IM-ing and they have to frigure out just what it was i meant to say… oops, sorry!
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