By Jennifer Linforth
A great many of writers work around distractions...mainly in the family form. These well meaning loved ones support us--and drive us nuts. Come, I challenge any author to claim this to be untrue. We've all had humorous encounters of the family kind while writing our books. In my household it comes in the form ideas for my series that expands The Phantom of the Opera, in particular. Keep in mind the Phantom is a very famous character and my husband...not so famous.
Below are some of his suggestions when I have had cases of writer's block.
When perplexed as to how to turn a scene around during the performance of an opera, he suggested the Phantom come out on stage carrying a violin case with a hidden machine gun inside so he could cause a distraction, a la The Godfather.
Trying to figure out a way for the hero and heroine to escape Paris unknown, he reminded me of Kansas and hot air balloons. No one looks up you know, and if it was good for Dorothy...
I needed to up my conflict. The solution? A fig famine! A huge fig famine across Europe is discovered when the Phantom slipped on a banana peel. It was even suggested to me that this event happened in 1848...
I asked for some insight on ABENDLIED's ARCs. My husband suggested showing off Erik's jewels when the ARC reviews came out. Can you imagine the look on my face with that double entendre? The Phantom with big...*ahems*. He clarified, and thought it would be cool if Erik's father and grandfather had hidden jewels that he inherited...big ones...
Now the author herself is not without her mistakes that make her do double takes. My husband is not the only one giving me whiplash. Take for instance my brain envisioning Raoul drinking scotch on the rocks, but writing it as iced burgundy. Yes...ice in red wine. Or the time I wrote about Erik's stomachs, seeing as he is a cow and has multiple stomachs to begin with! Or the amount of times I wrote grand duck instead of grand duke...
Care to share? I know you are out there and many of you have stories just like this. What are your most famous typos that made you spew latte on your computer screen? Post away!
A great many of writers work around distractions...mainly in the family form. These well meaning loved ones support us--and drive us nuts. Come, I challenge any author to claim this to be untrue. We've all had humorous encounters of the family kind while writing our books. In my household it comes in the form ideas for my series that expands The Phantom of the Opera, in particular. Keep in mind the Phantom is a very famous character and my husband...not so famous.
Below are some of his suggestions when I have had cases of writer's block.
When perplexed as to how to turn a scene around during the performance of an opera, he suggested the Phantom come out on stage carrying a violin case with a hidden machine gun inside so he could cause a distraction, a la The Godfather.
Trying to figure out a way for the hero and heroine to escape Paris unknown, he reminded me of Kansas and hot air balloons. No one looks up you know, and if it was good for Dorothy...
I needed to up my conflict. The solution? A fig famine! A huge fig famine across Europe is discovered when the Phantom slipped on a banana peel. It was even suggested to me that this event happened in 1848...
I asked for some insight on ABENDLIED's ARCs. My husband suggested showing off Erik's jewels when the ARC reviews came out. Can you imagine the look on my face with that double entendre? The Phantom with big...*ahems*. He clarified, and thought it would be cool if Erik's father and grandfather had hidden jewels that he inherited...big ones...
Now the author herself is not without her mistakes that make her do double takes. My husband is not the only one giving me whiplash. Take for instance my brain envisioning Raoul drinking scotch on the rocks, but writing it as iced burgundy. Yes...ice in red wine. Or the time I wrote about Erik's stomachs, seeing as he is a cow and has multiple stomachs to begin with! Or the amount of times I wrote grand duck instead of grand duke...
Care to share? I know you are out there and many of you have stories just like this. What are your most famous typos that made you spew latte on your computer screen? Post away!
