The Art of Thee Typo
Editing a 71,000+ word novel can be quite daunting. But at some point you have to release it out into the world. I can only ask my wife to read it so many times. I think I’ve read it so much it could look like those Facebook posts with the jumbled words that ask if you can still read it or not and I wouldn’t even notice.
Needless to say, there will be missed typos. Without the funds to pay a professional editor, After Life released on July 5th in a state that I felt pretty good about. And as a story, I still do today.
But twenty misspelled main character mentions later (Micheal instead of Michael) and I’m not feeling as confident. Thank you Aunt Mimi for pointing this out. I have always struggled with the spelling of that name. Why did I have to pick it for my main character? And one here when it’s supposed to be hear (I have my mother-in-law to thank for this one) and a few other glaring typos that I noticed when correcting these mistakes, and I’m feeling downright sick.
Having someone point out a missed typo is like a kick to the gut. And after the sick feeling that comes with the blow to the midsection, there's the anger. I wouldn’t walk up to someone’s painting and say, “Hey, you missed a spot.” And then there’s the denial.(This is really starting to sound like the stages of grief!) I scroll through the manuscript and find said mistake. Second kick to the gut.
Finally there’s the realization that finding these mistakes will only make the novel better in the long run. I keep telling myself it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Every mistake found is a mistake that’s corrected for future readers, despite how painful it is when they are discovered.
Thankfully most of those that have read the novel so far have been friends and family, their comments forgiving and helpful, and I am grateful to everyone who has taken the time to read it. And even though I get angry at myself when I hear (not here) about the mistakes, I am thankful that the typos have been found, and I am thankful to those that have taken the time to point them out.
An updated version of After Life is being worked on to correct various issues. I hope to have it uploaded by the end of the week. For the gamers out there, it’s just a small patch. After Life Version 1.1, if you will. And, yet, there will probably be something pointed out by someone down the line. And it will still feel like a kick to the gut. But I will correct and move on. And maybe someday a professional editor can take a stab at it. Because that is my ultimate goal.
But until that time, I say thanks to all of my wonderful editors out there that are doing there best to help me make the novel better. And before you say it, yes, I know that there is supposed to be their. Just wanted to see if you were still paying attention.
