Member-only story
THE MAGIC ART
New Writers Often Make These Glaring Mistakes
How to add emphasis and complete an unfinished sentence
Brian finished writing his first book, “See what you think,” he said. As a friend, I took on the task as a favour.
I found 22 mistakes on his first page.
I sat with Brian at his computer for an afternoon and detailed what needed fixing. I set him up with a grammar checker and then spent another afternoon showing him how to work it.
Months passed before Brian contacted me again. He’d found a publisher and was considering their offer. A few weeks later, I met Brian for a coffee and he presented me with a paperback copy of his book. I was delighted for him until I opened the book on the first page.
I found 23 mistakes on the first page.
I could tell at a glance his book hadn’t been properly proofread. These were glaring mistakes, jumping off the page and stinging my eyes. A conversation he’d written went like this —
- “Put your gun down!”
- “You put your gun down first!!”
- “No. You put your gun down or else…..!!!”
- “This is your last warning!!!!”