pointing out typos

Discussion in 'Authors' Hangout' started by Dansak, Aug 27, 2023.

  1. Dansak

    Dansak Really Really Experienced

    A friend kindly pointed out a bunch of typos I'd missed in one of my stories. She said she felt bad for pointing them out. I let her know I was very grateful for letting me know, I appreciate it when people point them out.

    How do you feel when people point out typos, does it bother you?

    I'm always happy to know so I can fix them but I can see why some people may not like it.
     
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  2. Vendetta19

    Vendetta19 Guest

    I'd be grateful too if people reported typo's or inconsistencies in my story.

    A fair share of readers are sensitive to incorrect grammar so it would be a shame if you lose their interest because of a silly typo or two.
     
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  3. raziel83

    raziel83 Really Really Experienced

    I make typos and mistakes and getting those pointed out is only annoying because I made a mistake. I honestly don't mind if someone points them out for me, I'm the one at fault after all.


    And speaking of mistakes, I just noticed that I had added chapters to a story based on the POV used in the earlier chapters by other users but this doesn't match the POV set up by the original creator. So now I either go back to fix my old chapters or just start using the proper POV in any further work or just ignore the story owner's desires. (Not that I had been notified of this mistake by anyone, so either no one cares or no one noticed.)
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2023
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  4. TheLowKing

    TheLowKing Really Really Experienced

    I learned that when you notice a problem or mistake that's easy to fix, you should always point it out. The context I learned it in was wardrobe malfunctions: you point it out when someone's zipper is undone, because they can easily zip it up. But when someone is halfway through a 3 hour train journey home, and you notice something embarrassing that they can't fix until they get home, then all pointing it out does is make them feel acutely embarrassed for 90 minutes.
     
  5. Dansak

    Dansak Really Really Experienced

    Changing/adjusting POVs is my pet hate. I started a story once and wrote about 5k words in first person POV. I left it for a bit and when I came back to it I realised it would be much better in 3rd person POV, so I went through what I'd written and changed it back.
    Arghh, never again, the process was painful and it ended up littered with typos too. With hindsight it would have been better to re write the whole thing.
     
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  6. Dansak

    Dansak Really Really Experienced

    I love that analogy!
     
  7. raziel83

    raziel83 Really Really Experienced


    I think I'm just gonna swap back to the advertised POV from now on and spare myself the trouble. Heck, it was supposed to be in 1st perspective and I think that makes many stories hotter and more personal.
     
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  8. Dansak

    Dansak Really Really Experienced

    I love writing in 1st POV, it's definelty my go to pov.
    I have recently mixed POVs in a story. The main story is from the 1st pov of a female character but I needed the view point of other characters to push the story along so I've dropped them in the story in 3rd POV, it worked really well.
     
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  9. TheLowKing

    TheLowKing Really Really Experienced

    I've done exactly the same thing. In my first story, actually! (Unpublished and likely to remain so.) Started with a second person protagonist, but then he and another character got separated and I found the need to follow her too. Can't exactly have two second person perspectives, so she got third person.

    Now I'm just itching for a chance to introduce a third character, the one who pens the whole story down as a letter to the protagonist. Boom, trifecta!
     
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  10. IdealSimp

    IdealSimp Guest

    I absolutely welcome people correcting my typos, inconsistencies and mistakes. Noticing them myself later on, long after the chapter's been published and everyone thinks I'm illiterate is probably my seventh biggest fear at the moment.

    Like in ERP there's nothing worse than thinking you've typed up absolute fire, waiting for your partner's reaction only for them to say "dude, they're supposed to be in handcuffs they can't do that."

    Shit sucks man. Have to rewrite everything. Feel like a gorilla with a keyboard.
     
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  11. android1966

    android1966 Really Experienced

    Haha, not just me then. Was writing a page recently and had nearly finished with a character giving a blowjob then remembered they had a ballgag fitted.
     
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