The top 10 mistakes writers don’t see (but can easily fix when they do) is meant primarily for authors of books, however, if you add up a person’s blog entries you’d probably have enough (or in some cases much more) for a novel.
Plus, it’s useful to know the common pitfalls of writing so you can avoid them.
After reading about all the pitfalls I’ve become self-conscious about this blog entry. What if I make a mistake that I don’t see? And the terrible irony of it all is that these mistakes are ones which writers don’t see, so how can I hope to notice the error?
Oy. (I use that word a lot.) I mean, Ack! Oh wait, I mean… Well, I… Hmp. (Oh, I use that often too.) Argh. (There, I did it again.) Holy Hannah. (Oh, I…) Sigh.
Crap.
I can’t write anything now, except: thanks Dan. I’ve just realized that everything I write is exactly the same, every time. I’ve got that stinkin’ (there I go again) pavlovian dog beat out at predictable responses. Oy. ;)
Seriously, that’s an excellent link and definitely (man, I use that word a lot too) something I need to think about. Though I’m not sure if I’m ever going to be able to write anything ever again. Sigh.
These are good rules. Some of the rules have a lot to do with one’s own opinion and preference, but they all lead to better writing. I’m guilty of some, but when I’m making an effort to write well, I can often catch the problem, often subconsciously, and fix it.
However, I’m a firm believer in the appropriate use of commas. They should guide the reader through the sentence, letting him/her know when to pause.
That’s good stuff, Dan. Thanks for pointing it out. I’ve found that English classes rarely touch on those points, as students are struggling just to get the spelling and basic grammar approximately correct. The finer points, which set a good writer ahead of the mediocre masses, get lost in the confusion.