Writing: A Conversation Without Interruptions

I find it funny, but I’m guessing non of you spotted it. Something that in my mad rush to put content up onto this site, that I’ve missed over and over (and over) again since the time I settled on the site’s names. That’s my guess anyway, but let me ask you. Put your hands up – honestly now! – if you spotted the typo which, until today, was glaring angrily out of the title line of this site… on every single page.

Prior to today, the site title had been: ‘Writing: A Conversation Without Interuptions‘
Today, the title is: ‘Writing: A Conversation Without Interruptions‘

See the difference? Subtle, but really, how could it take me so long to spot that ‘interruptions’ was spelt incorrectly? And it wasn’t even me who spotted it in the end, it was a fabulous chap at work who just pointed at the page header and said softly “Doesn’t that have two ‘Rs’ in it?”
Yes. Yes, it does.

Oh well. I’ve fixed the problem now and I’ve had a few hours of hanging my head in shame to make up for it.

It does make me stop and think though. Being keen and eager and prioritising this site above my other current projects is all well and good, but if I can’t do it well, I shouldn’t do it at all. Particularly since this site is designed to show case my writing ability. The last thing I want is to litter the place with typos and inconsistencies. Particularly not in my site title! So… this is my little promise to myself going forward: to ensure doubly that I proof read both posts to the blog and page content before posting (unless of course, I’m trying out something where the very point is that I don’t proof read. Such exercises are rare, but I do try them every now and then).
I generally write these entries directly into Word first. I utilise the inbuilt spell checker and the rules there which are capable of catching the occasional grammatical hiccup. However, there is nothing more advanced and more powerful than the human brain, so as well as doing that, I’m going to take care to use my own eyes to check these words, going over posts an hour or two after writing before posting them out. That should cut down on problems. If I can rope willing victims proof readers into checking the posts at the same time, then that can only help.

 
In other news, the site is populating nicely. I will be going back through the pages at some point over the weekend, but to ensure that I’m happy with it and also to see that everything is spelt correctly and makes sense. Who isn’t guilty of writing a sentence of complete gobbledegook when in a rush? As you all know, I touch type and yet even I can come out with a sentence that look something like this:

and heb he webt ti tge sgio abd fiybd iyt tgat ge gad bitgubg ti eat fir dubber

Not good, and all I did then was shift my right index finger one key to the right for my ‘home key.’ Makes sense when you type it… but not when you read it. I doubt there’s anything quite so bad as that within these pages, but it always pays to check, check and check again.

I’m incredibly pleased with the about page – thanks Kyonë! – and the shuffle of the excerpts into a position that makes slightly more sense. That also means when I am able to upload more samples to the site, they will be in one place and easy to find.

Incidentally, with the change of pages and the shuffle of priorities between static pages and blog, I need to know if you’re finding it difficult to locate the blog. The home page and the blog tabs at the top both contain the menu on the right hand side to locate all the blog posts, but the blog is no longer the main focus of this site. Let me know how that feels and whether or not that could be made more user friendly.

There are just a few more pages to add now, and then I can rest easy for a little while. My focus will then shift back towards giving Clash the attention it needs. Its April now and June is marching ever closer. Also, I’ve realised that there’s a whole section of plot that makes no sense – or not as much that it should – and therefore needs a little more exposition. I’m going to take care of that in adding to the end of one chapter and the start of the next, but its going to be tricky to ensure that the text still flows. Particularly since it was written in a rush, against the clock back in November. I need to be sure that I maintain that sort of pace in my writing and that I keep the tension which is building between Eli and Michelle. The explanation of her past should serve to do that, but its so important to the novel as a whole that I really don’t want to get it wrong.

That’s my lot for now… I’m off to check for errors!