My worst ever professional mistake was in an Annual Report for a one-hundred-million dollar corporation, when I was the director of marketing and communications. Unfortunately, an innocent little ‘t’ went missing from the word ‘assets.’ The board was not amused by “This year, we experienced an increase in corporate asses.”
Recently, I found out what one little vowel can do to Rowena and the Dark Lord, book 2 in the Land’s End series.
Okay, REALLY uncool when you misspell the name of your own book on a guest blog.
Rowena and the Dark LARD is probably not the best way to get sales for a ‘Game of Thrones Lite’ fantasy series.
However, as I do write comedy, I'm thinking about a parody.
Is it okay to write a parody of your own book?
Draft one: Rowena and the Dark Lard
Synopsis 1: Rowena moves back to Land’s End and opens up a bakery.
Synopsis 2: Cedric’s use of dark magic goes totally out of control, and so does his appetite.
Synopsis 3: Thane and Rowena return to Land’s End and become pig farmers.
Synopsis 4: Rowena messes up another spell that causes all who look at her to turn into donuts.
Synopsis 5: Rowena kills off Nigella Lawson in a battle with pastry rollers, and assumes the role
of Prime Time Network Food Goddess <sic>.
Synopsis 6: Someone takes a totally justified whack at the author. End of series.
Postscript: Recently was quoted by someone as the author of ROWENA AND THE DORK LORD. Trial for murder is pending.
Post postscript (where is a Latin scholar when you need one?): Another contract out for the professional book tour company hired by my publisher last month, who, in all their advertising, inadvertently switched book 3 Rowena and the Viking Warlord to…wait for it…Viking Landlord. Yup. Obviously there will be hell to pay if you forget the rent.
Have you some spectacular typos in your past? Share them here! I'll feel better.
I typed an address label once for a package going to someone on Burning Tree TOAD ... LOL
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you're not only allowed but encouraged to write parodies of your own work!
grin - love Toad! I bet the postal workers get some regular laughs. Thanks for that, Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteMy worst professional typo was leaving the "l" out of Public Affairs. Got past me and two proofreaders on the Pubic Affairs Committee.
ReplyDeleteMy most common typo is my own name. I'm creating profiles for potential future characters: Alion (SF hero), Slison (fantasy villain), Alsion Brue (either an alcoholic wizard or the pub he frequents).
I once wrote marital arts instead of martial arts... Gave a new meaning to the rest of the paragraph.
ReplyDeleteAlison, LOVE your future characters (especially the last one) :)
ReplyDeleteEve, I'm laughing! My husband would like to read that post.
ReplyDeleteEve, Terry Pratchett used that in one of his Discworld novels. An eager young bridegroom to be ordered a book and got the wrong one...
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of donuts? Glazed? Maple icing? Yum!
ReplyDeleteI confess when you said you misspelled 'Dark Lord', I didn't come up with either Dark Lard or Dork Lord. You, I know, will understand.
Leigh, you've got me smiling.
ReplyDeleteIn legal writing action by the government can be defended if it is "in the public interest." Some years ago my wife (also a lawyer) received a brief from the Department of Justice for review before filing. The attorney at DOJ who composed the brief must have been typing a little too fast since the brief defended the government's action as being well within "the pubic interest." Of course the misspelling cleared spell check, since "pubic" is, indeed, a word. But to make certain this never happened again my wife's office removed the word from spell check on all of their computers. Rationale: It may be a word, but I want my computer to highlight it every time it sees it in a draft pleading!
ReplyDeleteDale, that is a classic Public Relations minefield :) Meaning, that if you are a director of PR (which I was for years) once a year at least your title gets messed up...yes...Director of Pubic Relations. Did I ever mention the business card disaster...
ReplyDeleteThere once was this little fella who was always getting beaten up so he went for karate lessons. He misread the sign and went to karaoke instead so the first time he was attacked he assumed the correct stance and began with,
ReplyDelete"Tie a yellow ribbon round the old Oak Tree."
I nver make typoos. I just invent new wards.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear...
Kevin and Dixon: you are seriously nuts. I love it :)
ReplyDeleteKevin's comment reminded me not of a typo, exactly, but a misreading. This is absolutely true and a few of you know exactly whom I'm talking about.
ReplyDeleteA close, long-time friend happened to be sharp with both IQ and EQ, but she also had a blonde ditziness that sometimes left friends open-mouthed. When starting at her university, she signed up for Astronomy thinking it was Astrology. She told me later, she couldn't believe how much math such a subject, which later helped sort out her error.