Everyday Canvas

Typos: Why are mine so hard to catch?

Typos are not only small mistakes or typographical errors, but they are also vandals. They louse up and thrash any good time I am having while I write. They are so frustrating to catch in my own work, no matter how many times I have edited or re-edited the manuscript. So, why do I miss those annoying little pests?

According to the psychologist Tom Stafford from UK, this is because we writers are smart. We do this because our attention is focused in conveying meaning, a very high level task. Well, that should make me feel a lot better---NOT!

Becoming blind to detail because the brain is working on instinct and knows the destination, therefore missing the darn things…Not a good explanation. This makes me want to throw a tantrum or throw up. I want all parts of my brain work concurrently, at the same intensity. Hear that, Brain?

Stafford suggests that if I want to catch my own errors, I should try to make that piece as unfamiliar as possible. I think there’s a truth to that, for when I read my oldest work, I see the errors most often, be it they may not be typos...by then.

MS Word, WdC, Google etc., do catch blatant typos, but if the typo is another word or a self-standing a or I, I am doomed. My typos, sometimes happen from trying to fast-type, but sometimes they are there because during the editing, I changed the word order and some word or a piece of it stayed stuck inside the sentence. So annoying!

But then, let’s look at the good side. If you google “Images for funny typos” you’ll get stuff like this:

Shoplifters will be prostituted.
Food Store Signs: Special! Fresh Crap!
Pop Turds $2.19
Barber Shop Sign: Noor Babber Shop
Road Sign: Stop! Heavy Erection Is Going On!
Door Sign: Executive Bored Room
McDonalds Sign: Try Our Anus Burger!
Parking Sign: Illegally parked cars will be fine.
Another Sign (part of it)—maybe in a school: School of Pubic Affairs -- Lady Bid Johnson Auditorium

Yessss! This makes me feel a lot better!