Self-Lovin' Bloghop, ROW80, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Gimme some lovin'!

Self-lovin', that is!

Tara's hosting the Self-Lovin' Bloghop, which asks participants to give themselves a pat on the back for something they're good at:
"I wanted to know what you're good at. I started it from a writing standpoint, but it doesn't have to be inclusive to only writers. I have some (amazingly talented) photographers who follow, some (fabulous) artists, assorted various others, and some great friends.

It's too easy to be hard on yourself, and sadly difficult to pat your own back. That's what today is about. Or the whole week. ... It can be as long or short as you like. And if you haven't signed up but are interested, please do. I'd love to come to your place and read about your greatest talent."

This might not come as a surprise to some of you, but my strength lies in copy-editing. I can spot a missing apostrophe or a misplaced comma from a mile away. I've been known to deface train signs, even. How could I not? The sign read "emergency break" instead of brake - what if there was an emergency and people broke the brake instead of pulling it? [giggle]

Another time, when I was working for a magazine, some furniture company sent in an ad about their latest line, which was named after Hemingway - only they spelled the author's name wrong! I called them right away to tell them and the person on the phone wasn't interested at all, asking me if I was sure, and so on, because of course it would take more money and work to fix it. I insisted, and finally they pulled it and sent in a revised version.

Sadly, a typo or glitch can also pull me right out of a story I'm enjoying.

Speaking of copy editing, and editing in general, which I'm lucky enough to do at my day job as well, I have some news about my A to Z Challenge theme. I'm going to be posting about...

Nope. I'll wait. I can't reveal it all yet, until some Real Life tasks have been finalised. Sorry for the tease!

Those Real Life things have also made me slow on ROW80. Two check ins left to go in this round, and I haven't accomplished much in the way of writing. Unless dreams count. In the past few weeks I've had three wonderful story ideas from dreams, one in Westlake style, one a dystopian, and one romance. Can't wait to explore them!

2014 is the 50th Anniversary of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

In honour of this occasion, I have made you all a splendiferous postcard, using the tools on the official Roald Dahl website:



Hope you'll spread the self-lovin'!

Comments

Linda G. said…
Man, I wish I had your proof-reading powers! My eyes tend to skip blissfully right over my own typos.
TL said…
Haha, your train correction cracked me up! You are definitely a copy-edit whiz! (Thank God!)
Liz Blocker said…
Yay, I love this bloghop! And that IS an awesome skill to have :)
Have you ever read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves? That's a funny book about grammatical errors that people make. Typos bug me too. I was reading a book lately and it really bugged me that apparently the author and copy editor of the book had no idea what semicolons or commas were for; it was too distracting for me.
S.P. Bowers said…
Nope, not a surprise, but still a great talent. One much appreciated by those of us lacking in this department. Why can't grammar make sense?
Crystal Collier said…
Huh. Typos, eh? Don't stop by my place then. =)

My fingers get moving so fast they often skip words--a little "to" or "the." Thank goodness for my copy editor who catches most of that.
Zan Marie said…
You are an amazing copy editor, Deniz! I love what you do when you read my stuff.
M Pax said…
I wish I was better at that. I rely on my editor. I've learned a lot and have gotten better, though.
Angela Brown said…
What a wonderful blog hop. It's good to give yourself a pat on the back every now and then. We're so good at wagging our fingers at ourselves lol!

Carol Kilgore said…
Wish I had those skills. I do OK on other things, but my own work? hahaha.

Cute postcard :)
Leslie S. Rose said…
New follower and fellow blog hopper waving here! I envy your eagle copy-editing eye. I think my very first chocolate craving came when I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 3rd grade.
klahanie said…
Hi human, Deniz,

Aha, a Blog Hop that asks me to give myself a pat on the back and a belly rub, pawhaps! :)

Grammar? Those are the brakes, um breaks, um ignore me, um notice the commas and the now overusing of the conjunction word "and" and how this has turned into a run-on sentence that will abruptly end with an exclamation mark, for dramatic impact!

Please, please, please, I beg you! No mention of that darned alphabet challenge :)

Pawsitive wishes,

Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!
Unknown said…
That's a great skill to have. =-) And you had me really excited about that reveal. Looking forward to more updates.
Good luck to you and your endeavours.

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
DMS said…
What a fantabulous post card! :)

I am amazed at your editing skills. I imagine it is a gift and also a curse at times, as it must be hard to turn it off (if that is even possible). Great talent and one many of us could use!
~Jess
Anonymous said…
I love the postcard.

Some people think I'm a great proofreader, but I've met people with way better skills than me. I wish I had a better eye for mistakes. My manuscripts come out pretty clean, but still...
Deniz,

What a great blog hop! I love the idea, and may whip something up tomorrow.

I'll be signing up for the A to Z challenge, too. I'd hoped to have the first several posts completed, but editing has taken over - that and the new computer.

I love story dreams. I often write or reread right up until bedtime, so that I can take my stories to bed (so to speak...).

May your personal stuff be cleared up soon, so you can explore.

I love your "Emergency Break" story. I would have been sorely tempted, but likely not brave enough to effect corrective measures...
Nicole said…
I like the purpose for the self-love blog fest. Sounds like a good way to put our inner critic into perspective.

~Nicole
#atozchallenge Co-Host
The Madlab Post
Nas said…
Haha...brake and break! Yes, I also get thrown out of the story if I see typos etc.

Nas
SC Author said…
My copy editing skills are not good! I miss words, leave random letters...it's not good.
Stephanie Faris said…
How crazy does it drive you to see a misspelling on a sign? If I see one more "Clearence" sign at a drive-thru, I'm going to scream! My husband told the girl working a Dairy Queen drive-thru that clearance was misspelled and she just gave him a blank look and handed him his food. She didn't care!
Hi Deniz .. I see those errors too - but I'm sure I miss many. I used to work in Marketing and was constantly getting upset at the spelling mistakes and the grammar (though I'm not strong on the reasons why) - yet the boss was totally disinterested - yet his boss was very finickety ... so we spread poorly edited copy.

Fun examples you gave us ... and 50 years of Charlie .. amazing ..

Looking forward to the A-Z reveal .. cheers Hilary
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks so much everyone!

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves is on my wishlist. Darn, so many books, so little time...