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First World Writer Problems
Sould. Apparently I'm so used to typing should, would, and could that I add a D to soul. Every.Time.
The "u" key on my laptop sticks. I have to position the cord at a "magic" angle or else it won't charge :D. I've never thought once about tense in the 7 books I wrote. Maybe I should be worried haha. I second guess myself on a lot of words. I have to look them up in the dictionary just to make sure I'm using them correctly :D.
How to you look up how to spell a word in the dictionary if you don't know how to spell it? Really, some words are that difficult! Hugs!!
That moment when you look at your text and you are a 100% sure that there are no grammatical mistakes, and after a day or two you realise you were actually wrong, and it's full of small, stupid errors like they're instead of their, saw instead of show etc. Aaaarg!
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Start typing it into Google all the ways you think it might be spelled until the right definition comes up. Works for me.
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I have a nice office with a comfortable, ergonomically correct chair. I rarely use it. Instead, I sit slumped on the couch with my feet on the coffee table and type away. My dog gets bored or annoyed, comes to plop her head down on my lap looking for some attention, and ends up with her head on my keyboard. She has deleted large chunks of text, has typed rows of nonsense, and has slobbered all over the keys countless times since she can prove nearly immovable when she wants.I really need to use my office.
Margaret wrote: "I have a nice office with a comfortable, ergonomically correct chair. I rarely use it. Instead, I sit slumped on the couch with my feet on the coffee table and type away. My dog gets bored or annoy..."OMG yes! My husband and I actually converted our garage into a room so that we could have an office/studio and my desk is great for stacking up bills, but all my writing is done with terrible posture on the sofa.
LOL! Now that I finally have a chance to use my pretty wooden desk... I don't. Then again, the chair isn't comfortable. Yeah, that's my excuse! ; )
When I write a segment I'm really pleased with, it's one of my favorite bits, then I realize it has to come out because it kills the flow.Or when I just flat out contradict something I said earlier and have to decide which of the opposing perspectives has to go.
Orrrr when I have it cemented in my head that the book is called something all the way through the writing and editing process, then I check online and someone's taken it already. Really got to learn to do that part first.
I hate when I switch tense! It usually happens when I'm reading a book that's different than what I'm writing. It gets into my brain and messes with me.
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Urgh. Yes. I wrote most everything in the past tense, but when editing I find whole passages in the present. If I attempt to do something in the present, I keep switching back to past.
That is it. All of my books will be written in future tense! Like this comment will be once I hit post. It will be great.
If someone write something and then hit backspace until it's gone. Is it writing in past tense? Me thinks it is future...because one day I will be writing something that will be worth keeping... maybe? :P
Ashleigh wrote: "I hate when I switch tense! It usually happens when I'm reading a book that's different than what I'm writing. It gets into my brain and messes with me."Yep I noticed the same thing. I always write in the past tense but if I read something written in present I have to watch myself.
Writing in past and present tense means you need to relax. You're two tense! (Dad jokes! Dad jokes for all!)
I have two. Each and every time I wrote shadow-elf, my fingers would be in such a rush that it would come out as shdaow-efl. Why that one in particular, I have no idea. Wood-elf, hale-elf, all fineSecond, though not sure if this counts, one of my main characters, named Miach, is based off my husband named Michael. I'm in the PT office with him filling out his paperwork, as he has terrible handwriting, and I glance at the form only to notice my mistake. Can you guess which name I wrote after a full afternoon of writing? lol
I have a tendency to have my hands get out of sync and type anagrams, for example "good condition" becomes "ogod condition" (that's also the classic Linotype error, BTW). The other is extra vowels so "beyond" becomes "beyuond". There reason for this is that U, I and O are close together and under the broken finger in my right hand that doesn't work properly.
Dwayne wrote: "I always catch myself mixing up waist and waste. It makes for some pretty funny bloopers, but it's annoying as hell."Such a waste with such a waist! :)
I usually suffer from the low bandwidth of the human-computer interface. I'm a quick at typing, but still nowhere compared to thoughts. Got to get one of those Matrix grain connectors...
I love how my computer will automatically fix a word I spelled wrong immediately and I just keep on writing...and then other times it leaves it there to, what? Mock me? Lol Obviously my computer plays favoritism hahahaha
Amanda wrote: "I love how my computer will automatically fix a word I spelled wrong immediately and I just keep on writing...and then other times it leaves it there to, what? Mock me? Lol Obviously my computer pl..."I have a spelling chequer,
It came with my pea see
It clearly marks for my revue
Miss steaks I can knot sea
R. wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I love how my computer will automatically fix a word I spelled wrong immediately and I just keep on writing...and then other times it leaves it there to, what? Mock me? Lol Obviously..."ICANN Corel ate two DAT...
Dwayne wrote: "Sam (Rescue Dog Mom & Writer) wrote: "How to you look up how to spell a word in the dictionary if you don't know how to spell it? Really, some words are that difficult! Hugs!!"Start typing it int..."
Glad I'm not the only one that does this, Dwayne.
I overthink my commas because I know I am prone to missing them..."Does the comma go before the 'but' or after it? Definitely before. That doesn't look right. I'll look dumb if I ask someone. Better safe and put one before AND after. Nailed it"
*facepalm*
Zoltán wrote: "ICANN Corel ate two DAT... "hahahaha love this!
My laptop is half-broken, and sometimes when it's acting up, I'll hit a key once, and it'll type it out three times.Iiittt maaakeeesss speeellinggg verrry interessstinggg, to say the least.
I have time to write at home...right? Oh wait, there's that thing called "The Internet". Wait...where'd my time go? YouTube.It starts off with "I'm doing this for science and research." when you click that "Grandfather paradox solved" video link, and after poking holes you're now on a trip down a 2 hour rabbit hole clicking more videos and you're like "What happened to my time?! I was going to write! But wait! I know about wind farms now! And I now know that the US has 800-some military bases in other countries around the world."
TL:DR YouTube is a soul sucker.
M.K. wrote: "I overthink my commas because I know I am prone to missing them..."Does the comma go before the 'but' or after it? Definitely before. That doesn't look right. I'll look dumb if I ask someone. Bet..."
Thanks, M.K. I just spat tea all over my iPad. I can relate to feeling dumb if I ask, so I just cross my fingers and hope for the best.
S.J. wrote: "M.K. wrote: "I overthink my commas because I know I am prone to missing them..."Does the comma go before the 'but' or after it? Definitely before. That doesn't look right. I'll look dumb if I ask..."
I sense an anthology of humorous author thoughts to be published in the near future....
M.K. wrote: "S.J. wrote: "M.K. wrote: "I overthink my commas because I know I am prone to missing them..."Does the comma go before the 'but' or after it? Definitely before. That doesn't look right. I'll look ..."
Sounds like something worth reading, you may be on to something.
V.M. wrote: "Thomas - try watching Arrival - it's a paradoxical mindf*ck.Also - watching awesome movies when you're supposed to be writing - counts too! "
Yes, movies and TV too. I watch Star Trek : Voyager in its entirety probably once a year.
Oh, I did watch Arrival...and I loved it. Normally I poke holes in things until they're like Swiss cheese, but surprisingly Arrival entertained me so much I didn't have time to poke.
Predictive and auto-correct. Both do my tiny head in.I do not have a character in the current WIP named vag**a and neither is there a motorcycle called a Harlot Davidson...
I rest my case....
Proof that I'm an accountant turned author: when one of my standing editing notes is to make sure I've used cheek instead of check.
Jane wrote: "Predictive and auto-correct. Both do my tiny head in.I do not have a character in the current WIP named vag**a and neither is there a motorcycle called a Harlot Davidson...
I rest my case...."
sounds like an interesting read though.
liar and lair catch me out every time. My first manuscript had many terrible LAIR'S. I still have to sound them out just to double check.
Chris wrote: "When I write a segment I'm really pleased with, it's one of my favorite bits, then I realize it has to come out because it kills the flow.Yes! I keep telling myself I'll write something else where I can use that but you know darn well that's never going to happen.
Jane wrote: "Predictive and auto-correct. Both do my tiny head in.I do not have a character in the current WIP named vag**a and neither is there a motorcycle called a Harlot Davidson...
I rest my case...."
You should worry! I once worked with an editor whose name was Ms Roden. Every time I wrote to her I had to stop the thing changing it to "rodent".
Rofl! Yes, always double check! Mouse trap anyone? For the auto correct, of course!
Aske. Sone. My fingers go all medieval and add an extraneous E to the end of words.
Two comments deleted. This is the fun folder. This is a fun topic. This is not the place to dispense with unsolicited advice. Now to get us back on track, Goodreads. Goodreads is my first world author problem:
Me: Better go check Goodreads.
My conscience: You should be writing.
Me: But things could be happening that I need to know about.
My conscience:You should be writing.
Me:But I'm making connections!
My conscience:You mean you're still stumped by that last chapter, don't you?
Ignore the nagging conscience - go and have some fun 'cos your brain sparks with new ideas whenever you release it from drudgery!
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My conscience: You should be writing."
That sounds all too familiar.
Romanctic.Every single time. I mean, romance = romanc = romanctic, right??
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Christina wrote: "Two comments deleted. This is the fun folder. This is a fun topic. This is not the place to dispense with unsolicited advice. Now to get us back on track, Goodreads. Goodreads is my first world a..."
Then I hafta look at Facebook and see if I can find somebody I used to be at school with - even though I hated her at school. And then I do housework. The writing really isn't going well this week
Jane wrote: "Then I hafta look at Facebook and see if I can find somebody I used to be at school with - even though I hated her at school. And then I do housework. The writing really isn't going well this week "And then there's the urge to check my KDP dashboard every five minutes.
Forgetting characters names, then realizing I kept spelling a character's name differently and I can't remember which version of that name I wanted to use since I'll sometimes change my mind about how to spell a name halfway through the story. And making it worse for myself because these are fantasy names which means some of them are kind of long and funky. I couldn't have just named the dark lord friggin' Bob, it just had to be Metheselushias or something!
So. What have we learned? Call the Dark Lord 'Bob'. Don't over complicate. And take notes....
Jane wrote: "So. What have we learned? Call the Dark Lord 'Bob'. Don't over complicate. And take notes...."I think Monty Python and the Holy Grail had the right idea.
"Some call me... Tim."
"Oh Tim the Enchanter...!
Actually more like print up your notes so you're not switching back and forth between notes and document. I need a a cork board so I can pin all the printed notes to the cork board and have it all right smack in front of me.
For example, like when I misspell a word so badly I had no idea what it was I was initially trying to say.
Or when my brain thinks faster than my fingers can type, thus leading to said horribly misspelled words.
Or how about when you've been writing in past tense only to suddenly realize you'd been using present tense for the last four chapters.
Constantly typing "there" when you meant "their" only to then type "their" when you meant "they're."
Writing is so haaaaard!
(Please focus the complaints about the writing process only and not on publishing. For example, please no complaints about books not selling, not getting reviews, getting one star reviews and so on. And please no writing-related questions. This thread is for friendly grumbling only).