The One Thing in My Writing That Drives Me Nuts
I write a lot, and for the most part I’m proud of what I do.
But there’s one thing that props up occasionally that pushes me ever-closer to insanity.
Typos.
Typos
Ahh, yes. Typos. The bane of writers both amateur and professional.
In the modern era of writing, where content is expected five minutes ago, available funds run thin and editorial staff seems at times to run even thinner, typos have become a near-unavoidable issue that plagues even the best of us.
I’m far from the best. So that certainly includes me, too.
In my many years as a writer — and three doing so in motorsports — nothing has been able to ignite my inner rage quite like discovering a typo on something I’ve already posted.
There’s just something terribly embarrasing about the whole ordeal, particularly when it comes at a poor time.
I do my best to proofread my pieces, but they occasionally slip through the cracks, and they drive me nuts whenever I see them.
Throughout my many articles, columns, etc. over the past few years, I’ve been called out by someone for a typo just once, from a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver whose best finish I’d mistakenly marked down as one position poorer than it truly was.
It was a minor mistake, and went over without issue, but it still irks me to this day.
Why? Because of what could have happened if the same mistake was made under worse circumstances.
Thankfully the piece I was working on that day was a positive announcement: the aforementioned driver’s addition to a new team.
Had it been a critical piece, however, my credibility could have been thrown away in an instant.
Sound crazy? It isn’t. Just last month a column from Gannett writer Shawn Windsor was met with heavy criticism due to a lack of credibility perceived from Windsor’s misspelling of three drivers’ names.
The good news for Windsor is that he should be okay. As a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press he covers much more than just NASCAR, so any credibility hits he took within the motorsports industry should be negligible.
Should a similar occurrence happen to me, it could kill my credibility and end my career before it begins.
I love the role I’ve been able to fill as a writer and member of racing media. It’s brought me more happiness than anything I’ve ever done.
I’m one or two steps from making it into something profitable and special, and I don’t want to throw that away. So sorry if I obsess over typos.
