It's the 1st Wednesday. Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. And thanks to this month's awesome hosts: Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!
Pet Peeves
Sorry for leaving such an abrupt note (no post) last month,
but I didn’t want you all to think I forgot. July was even crazier than I
expected. (If you missed my note, our Arizona family moved in with us until
they can find a house here in West Michigan. Son, daughter-in-law, two-year-old
Toddler Girl, a Great Dane, and a Labrador Retriever.) After a couple of weeks,
our household settled into a form of normalcy. Son went off to work and has
regular days off. DIL works out of my office downstairs, Toddler Girl has a part-time
sitter, giving Hubs and I time to ourselves. She also takes three-hour naps,
during which time I usually take a nap, too. LOL
That little girl makes us laugh all the time. Besides her
antics, her expressions are so darn cute. “Thank you, welcome” came from her parents trying
to teach her manners. Or “my help you . . . peez” translates to “help me, please.” Her vocabulary increases in leaps and bounds. Her favorite words,
right now, are “phone” and “iPad” because her over-indulgent grandmother (moi?)
downloaded a couple of games on both. If I hear Elmo singing the ABCs one more
time, I’ll go crazy. I’ve learned to say the phone and iPad are taking a nap.
On the home front this month, we have good news and bad news.
The good news is they’ve found a house nearby. The bad news is they will move
at the end of this month. I know I should be happy that everyone will have their
own space, and we’ll be back to our own normal. Having a two-year-old crawl up
on my lap and snuggle in is the best feeling in the world. I loved it when the
other two grandkiddies did it, and I missed it until TG came along. I’m sure her
twin brothers (who come in November) will do it, too. When they all move, I’ll miss
those moments, even if I should enjoy the peace and quiet.
On the writing front . . . Let’s say I’m storing up ideas by
reading. I did do some writing on a YA space adventure thanks to an 8-hour road trip
picking up the older grandkids from camp. (I wrote about it on the Paranormal
Romantics blog.) Other than that, I’m barely keeping up with blog
obligations, though I gave up trying to do my Monday Morning Musing. I will get
back to writing on my two projects: the sci-fi romance THE SPY and the spin-off from my Alex O’Hara mysteries JAILBIRDS AND WEDDING BELLS.
Meanwhile, as I mentioned above, I’ve been reading. Since
this month’s question asks about our pet peeves, I can easily respond. Poor
editing drives me nuts. A common misconception is that these would be self-published
books. Au contraire. Many are from publishers. Those of us who self-publish pay
for good editing, at least I do. And I read and reread my edited manuscripts so
I don’t miss any mistakes. After all, my name is on the book. I want to be
proud of my work. But what in heaven’s name is wrong with publishers (companies
or self) that put out books with frequent misuse of punctuation or wrong
use of homonyms or spelling errors? I can understand one or two mistakes. (Despite
all the work done by my freelance editor and myself, a reader contacted me
about spelling errors in my latest book. Yikes! You can bet I fixed those promptly.) But repeated grammar/spelling
errors indicates sloppy editing. My solution? Close the book and don’t finish.
Why should I bother to read it if the author/publisher/editor didn’t care
enough to make sure it’s error-free?
How about you? What pet peeves do you have about books?
Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.
Great... Dane... uhm... congratulations and have fun. I'm the same way about poor editing, but in the rare case it doesn't turn me off completely, I'm always shot into "dissect it" mode to figure out **why** I still want to read.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, Karen. Too bad the poor editing distracts from a good story.
DeleteI'm with you on bad editing. So distracting.:-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Amen, Anna.
DeleteI have a two year old. I get exactly what you're saying, except I can't send my off anywhere for a few hours of quiet. =) Good thing I have other kids in the house to entertain her.
ReplyDeleteIt's rare, but I have put down a couple book due to editing issues. Typically, if they're too prominent, I can expect characterization and plot to fall in the same trap, and I can't do a book with poor plot or characterization. I come away hating it.
Good thing you have older kids who can entertain the 2-yr-old. They are such a delight but needy. I'm glad we have her with us for a little while longer
DeleteI find so many errors and typos in books traditionally published, and even by well-known authors or books that are very popular. It amazes me.
ReplyDeleteSee, I don't get that, Chrys. Those books have professional editors that should catch those errors.
DeleteI agree that poor editing will ruin the best of novels. My father insists he doesn't need to edit his work, even though it is full, and I mean full of errors. When I point these out to him, he claims it isn't that big of a deal. But I'm like you. If someone thought so little of their readers to edit properly, I'm not going to waste my time reading.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of writers who think their work doesn't need editing--it's good enough as it is. I don't think so. That's the ego talking. I appreciate editors or critiquers. They make my work better.
DeleteHaving the iPad and iPhone nap is genius! Toddler Girl sounds adorable. I can see why you'll miss her. I can't imagine anyone not thinking that their work needs to be edited. Who can possibly catch their own mistakes?
ReplyDeleteI sure can't catch all of the mistakes. Yes, TG is adorable. But then I'm prejudiced. ;)
DeletePoor editing really shows. A typo or two, fine, that's not a big deal--but a character's name being wrong? Grammer being incorrect? Punctuation problems? Get thee to an editor.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Michelle.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTypos made my list of pet peeves too! That does sound like a house full of fun and love. Soak it up!
ReplyDeleteI am, Joey. Thanks.
DeleteHow fun to have family so close, and at least they will stay close. I smiled when I read about you writing on the 8 hour drive. That's when I get a lot of writing done as well. My husband has learned that he brings something to listen to since I won't be talking. :)
ReplyDeleteThe kids were exhausted from a week of camp. All they wanted to do was chill and read. Hubs doesn't talk much. So the idea kept swirling around. I think it has possibilities.
DeleteStoring up for writing by reading is a great way to use this busy time!
ReplyDeleteI only have energy for reading right now.
DeleteI LOVE having my grandguy visit for a week! But I'll admit heaving a sigh when he leaves . . . which lasts about a day before I start planning the next visit!
ReplyDeleteEditing . . . Why is it that when you open a book, the first thing that draws the eye is an error?
OMG, yes, esp. when it's your own book and you read it a billion times before publishing. One thing about Toddler Girl is having to move a lot, which my doc says I should do.
DeleteI'm glad that you made it through July, but I'll bet your home feels empty after your family has moved into its own home, Diane. Happy reading, and maybe some writing too.
ReplyDeleteI know it will feel empty. I'll probably blog about it next month. lol Never miss an opportunity to blog. I hope to get in a little bit of writing before they leave.
DeleteGlad you made it through. My mom says being a grandma is the best feeling in the world too! Sloppy editing is one of my pet peeves as well. Thankfully I have a very large TBR list and I'm never at a loss for a book to read if I put one down.
ReplyDeleteYour mom is right.
DeleteAs long as a story holds my interest, I'll forgive a lot. But there is a limit. If my mind turns to editing mode instead of reading mode, I'll lose interest in the story. I have way too many unfinished books on my Kindle.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way I feel, too, Ken.
DeleteI've closed a few books with more than ten errors in chapter one. Everybody makes mistakes, of course, but there's a limit.
ReplyDelete10? Wow. That's more than mistakes. That's sloppy.
DeleteYeah, I don't waste my time on poorly edited books either.
ReplyDeleteWow, you have had a busy family life. I miss my grandkids when they are gone, but I love to see them leave too, lol.
LOL. I'm so glad when Toddler Girl goes down for a nap. By that time, I'm whipped.
DeleteI've encountered many mistakes in big name books.
ReplyDeleteAt least when they move, your grandkids will still be close by.
I'm thrilled all my grandkids will be close. Never thought it would happen.
DeleteThanks for starting this group, Alex. Because of you, I've met so many terrific writers.
Sounds like you are very busy, Diane! Having all your grandkids close by is the cherry on top of the cake!!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to trad pub books, especially the Big Five, my expectations are high and I’m annoyed by unnecessary typos and grammar errors. Not fair, I suppose. But I always imagine that these books have big budgets in place, and top notch editors working on the manuscripts…am I right?
Okay, maybe the 'big budget' is a misconception on my part...
That's how I feel about the Big Five.
Delete