Confession is good for the soul. It is, really.
Most of you know that my biggest ‘almost’ query mistake involved the line ‘highly regarded agent’. It’s just amazing how the meaning changes when you accidentally substitute a‘t’ for‘d’ in the word regarded. Spell-check does not catch these mistakes for you. You must find them yourself. The horror.
I must confess to another mistake I hope none of you make. When listing the organizations that you belong to…be certain all the initials are there. Because SCBWI doesn’t mean much if you leave out the C for Children’s. Then it’s just SBWI and that could have quite a few interpretations.
Actual Meanings:
Santa Barbara Wellness Institute
Seabed Wind Farm Interaction
School Buffer Walkability Index
Better ones I made up:
Strippers Between Work, Inc.
Schizophrenic/Bi-polar Women’s Institution
Stalking by Writers Initiative
I think these should be formed immediately!
The point I’m trying to make is this…can you proofread enough times?
I don’t think so.
Oh, no! LOL. I need other eyes to proofread for me as well!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Yes, I've made a few doozy's myself. Sadly, I'm sure many more are on the way. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so psychologically blonde.
ReplyDeleteOh no, highly retarded agent! LOL!
ReplyDeleteSo true, you cannot edit enough and then some. And still you will find bloopers -- too late.
Yay for proof reading! My worst - though in a novel, not a query - was mistaking Calvary for cavalry. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteTeachin English in a foreign country often shows me how easy it is for the meaning to change. One of my students forgot a space once.
ReplyDelete"This penis mine."
Yeah, I laughed the rest of the day at that one.
Some people think I'm strange for proofreading so much, but it's a must.
ReplyDeleteThe worst querying goof I've made was addressing the agent by another agent's name.