AG: Mistakes

I visited Tess Gerritsen’s blog today. Ms. Gerritsen (actually, Dr. Gerritsen, M.D.) is climbing in to my “favorite author” category. I first encountered her work in the novel, GRAVITY, and have gone on to read several other books by her. Today, she posted a message that every novelist understands—mistakes. Worse, mistakes that make it into print.

The problem with being a novelist is that your mistakes are printed and distributed by the thousands. And there is always someone who will point them out to you. That’s not bad—it stings a little, but it’s not a bad thing.

In my Zondervan book, A SHIP POSSESSED, I weave two story lines around a single, WWII submarine. There is a contemporary story set against a mid 1940’s plot. The McGuffin, as Alfred Hitchcock would say, is the submarine. I have a scene where the sub’s commander during the war thinks back to time with his wife when they watched Milton Berle on television. A reader graciously sent me a note reminding me that The Milton Berle show didn’t air until 1948. He even footnoted his research. I had been off by several years.

Here’s the thing: I don’t recall writing the scene. I opened the document on my computer and did a word search. Sure enough, I had written just as the reader said. Odd how the mind works.

Recently, a reader came to my web page and posted a note about my incorrectly using parameter for perimeter. She was correct and I sent a note to my editor. Not only had I incorrectly used the word, I had done it twice.

Some time ago, I read a book by a bestselling author who set much of the action in California. In one scene, he describes the appearance of California Highway Patrol cars. It was a well written description even if he did get the colors wrong.

Such things happen. If an author pens 100,000 words and is 99% correct, then the book contains 1,000 mistakes; 99.9% correct and still 100 goof-ups linger. That speaks only to typos and grammar. Content is a different matter. We, as writers, try to get everything right, but it doesn’t take long to realize that perfection—even with the help of content and line editors—is beyond the human grasp.

So what do we do? We strive for perfection. When the boo-boos make it into print we remind ourselves that it is a common affliction among writers. Carelessness shouldn’t be tolerated, but human frailty should.

It is good to expect the best of yourself, but not perfection. Only one person has the title Perfect.

Alton Gansky lives, writes, and blogs from California. Visit his website at www.altongansky.com.