Fingers are flying across the keyboards, the muse has taken over and you’re in the zone. That’s great, that’s what we want but sometimes the excitement about writing something truly wonderful can make you all too eager to hit the send button or press, publish.
Yes, I’ve done it. I’ve been guilty of it as both a freelance writer and a fiction author. A misplaced word or letter, incorrect usage, dangling modifier, or even comma in the wrong place. All things that can alter the meaning of a sentence and sometimes make it downright funny.
Last week, I walked to the mailbox and saw a piece of paper stuck to it. It looked like someone had been by every house in the neighborhood delivering what I discovered was an advertisement for a cleaning company.
However, when I started to read it I burst out laughing. And yes, only a writer probably would react like that because I’ve done it more times than I care to admit.
We’ve all written something that while we thought it was perfect, we didn’t read it back to ourselves or we didn’t read it aloud to see if it reads as planned.
What got me laughing was the opening line of the advertisement…
Are you tired of cleaning yourself?
Yes, it did go on to explain these were two ladies who were starting their own house cleaning business. However, I’m guessing this opening line might have put them on the receiving end of the odd call or two.
It got me thinking back to a writing group I used to belong to where we all had to share one of our funny writing bloopers. One that sticks out in my mind is a writer who said she’d meant to say the hero had raided the heroine’s pantries but the r got left out and instead, yes, you’ve guessed it, he raided her panties instead.
Lesson we can all learn from the writing bloopers, even if it’s a flyer, a quick e-mail, read it through at least once and save yourself some embarrassment. I’m guessing editors often have a fun time.
Anyone want to share something funny you’ve seen written someplace or if you’re brave enough, your own writing blooper?