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Writers: Ever Been Embarrassed by an Unintentional “Bump” in the Road?

September 29, 2013 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

By Barbara McNichol

As a member of Society of Southwestern Authors, I receive the group’s e-newsletter The Write Word. One article that tickled my fancy lines up perfectly with my Wordshop’s intentional writing theme. It goes like this: Before you press the SEND button, always ask “Is what I say what I intend to convey?”

[quote style=”1″]Is what I say what I intend to convey?[/quote]

In his article, Dan Baldwin refers to writers’ unintended mistakes (catch the redundancy?) as “bumps from a dip in the road.”

Let me share my favorite 7 “bumps” from several that Dan listed:

  • Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
  • The Humane Society offers a free spay/neutering to senior citizens…
  • Try our cough syrup. You will never get any better.
  • FOR SALE: Bulldog. Will eat anything. Loves children.
  • Now you can borrow enough money to get completely out of debt.
  • The patient has no past history of suicides.
  • Beauty Queen Unveils Bust At Dedication Ceremony

Yes, these examples are highly entertaining, but do you see how they get in the way of stating the meaning intended—and could lead to embarrassment?

Intentional Writing Reins

The fix: First, write with intention. Then, proofread everything with fresh eyes and do so from the readers’ perspective, not your own!

Have you come across embarrassing “bumps” like these? Please share them here. All “bump” originators will be kept anonymous, I promise.

Filed Under: Writing Tips, Writing Workshops Tagged With: Dan Baldwin, intentional writing, nonfiction book editing, Society of Southwestern Authros, The Write Word

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