Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Embarrassing Mispellings

This is topic Embarrassing Mispellings in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/writers/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007118

Posted by Foste (Member # 8892) on :

It's time to share an embarrassing spelling faux pas or two. While most of mine happen involuntarily some tend to be quite humorous... and profane at that.

Here's one from my current WIP:

"She sh*t me a glance that would send the demon in my hand running."

Yeah, lowbrow, but hey, it happens and I had a good laugh.

Step forward and share! [Smile]

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

You know you misspelled "misspelings," don't you?

Posted by rstegman (Member # 3233) on :

I have to use a spell checker as I can never keep my spells right...

If I cannot figure out how a word is spelled, or how it is properly used, I won't do it, even if it is the right word for the spot. I often will rewrite a sentence because I cannot spell the word I am after and the spell check won't let me find it.

Posted by Heresy (Member # 1629) on :

I had a good one yesterday on the subject of spell check won't let you find a word.

I wanted to use the word "sigil" but my spell-checker, electronic word-web dictionary and my giant print dictionary all insisted it wasn't a word. Now, I knew I was right, I knew I'd seen it before, and I am a stubborn person. I finally found a reference (wikipedia, I love you some days), found out that I spelled it right and (here goes my dignity), stuck my tongue out at all the offending entities listed above.

Sometimes, you just have to go with what works and dig for the spelling.

-Julie

Posted by MartinV (Member # 5512) on :

I once wanted to write 'sweet water' but wrote 'sweat water' instead. Not a big mistake until you realize the character was about to drink it.

Also, very often when I go through my texts I will see an 'of' instead of an 'or'. I don't know why but it keeps happening.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

In all fairness and semi-seriousness...I always have trouble whether to spell the word "aggravate" or "aggrivate." No matter how many times I check on it or look it up, I just blank out again when it comes up---and in my life it comes up a lot. It's aggravating. Or is it aggrivating?

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

I haven't had any mistakes like Foste... as far as I know, but I do have a habit of finding words I never typed in. Words that have nothing to do with the context.

I think my spell checker has a mind of its own.

But I have embarrassed myself in other ways with manuscripts. Like double scenes and a cover letter to the wrong editor.

Of course there are probably times the editor never got to the embarrassing part of the manuscript.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

Here's another one. I'm currently working through the second draft of something. For some strange reason, this time around, I keep writing "creture" for "creature," something that didn't happen the first time around.

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

Speaking of miss writing words. I keep typing out your for you're. I know the difference but when I go back over a story I find that I've typed your.

Can't think of it right now but there is another set of words that are similar which I have the same problem with.

Posted by telflonmail (Member # 9501) on :

Spelling in first draft is not that important if it will break your train of thought. Sometimes your mind is faster than your fingers; to get out your prose you use a word your mind will conjure but your at a loss to proper diction and spelling.

Of course, you need to clean it up for later drafts. The dyslexia, brain fart, Freudian slip and other parapraxes can bring insight that can make the revision more intriguing.

The problem with some mispellings is that you may not be able to decipher it later. When I seriously cannot spell it, but want to use a particular word (thinking it's appropriate for the context), I will mark it with a symbol and write it out phonetically to distinguish that is was spelled incoherently - I mean incorrectly.

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

The other words are whether and weather even though I don't use whether much.

And as someone else said I too sometimes have to use other words than the one I want. For the same reason; I misspell it so badly not even my spellchecker can figure it out. Sometimes I try ten combinations of letters and still nothing.

Posted by LeetahWest (Member # 9402) on :

I often forget to finish contractions so my "didn't" turns into "did" . . . not very good when you are leaving it as a comment on someone's blog. [Frown]