Hidden Errors and Flaws to Overcome

Finding errors in a manuscript can be compared to finding a needle in a haystack. You might have combed through that manuscript more times than you can count, but still that elusive error, like a needle, remains hidden. Until one day it pops out at you.

One thing that popped out at me was an error regarding the verb has/have that I just caught. In both of my manuscripts. In The Vase I found a piece of dialogue where someone was saying, "War and fighting has occurred here for so long..." but the verb 'has occurred' should be 'have occurred' because whenever you have multiple subjects connected with 'and' then you use the plural form of the verb, even though the individual subjects were singular.

In KOK another instance like that occurred, but I can't remember exactly what the passage was. Nevertheless, it's fixed, too. A couple other things Grayson at Penumbra told me was not to use 'swirled" around when someone spins around to see what's behind them, use the word 'whirled' around instead. Of course, 'spun' around works, too. Or 'wheeled' even. Sometimes, I'll just put 'pivoted' and never put 'swiveled' for when someone turns their head. Or 'rotated'. Just say they turned their head.

One of my flaws in writing that I have overcome is that I used to try to be fancy. I was influenced by other people's writing blogs and saw how they tried to be good writers by using fancy words and phrases to describe actions and dialogue, but I've grown beyond that now. I've learned that that doesn't make someone a good writer, it only exposes their amateurism and their inexperience. Say what you've got to say, but don't mix it up with irregular words and words that can mean something else, because the reader might just take it to mean something else and not what you meant.

So like anything, it's about experience and learning and growing. And with that you become a better writer. And don't be stubborn. When someone's telling you what you're doing is wrong, don't argue with them and think that you're the one right. Take your time and think it through. I did. And I'm a better writer for it. Good luck to everyone.