[Writer Post] Even Pros Make Mistakes
Have I mentioned lately that even experienced and seasoned writers can make boneheaded mistakes? And that recently I was one of those writers making one of those mistakes? Yes? No? Maybe so? (Ah, wow, Algebra 2 and Trig flashback to Mrs. Weber at Homewood High… but I digress.)
Anyway, there are times when even the more established of us go completely geekified and forget even the basics. I did that recently when I was on a deadline roll. I put together a document, proofed it, sent it out. Realized about 24 hours later when my brain kicked back in that it was NO KIND OF FORMAT. Yeah… I’m sure there is a standard/professional format for what I was sending. I just… didn’t. Cat Rambo can smack me. My college professors (who are no longer with us) who pounded proper format into my head can now haunt me. Heck, I’m pretty much writing off that opportunity (in my head) because I was a complete and utter idiot.
Because, dude, format matters. In this day and age of fancy fonts and programs that do things for you, it might be easy to overlook formats as outdated or something somebody else thinks about. No. It’s what marks you as someone who pays attention. A person who cares enough about his/her work to put it in its “Sunday Best”. My mentor professor (one of those who’s about to haunt me) always said, “You can have the next Gone With The Wind, but if it’s not in proper format, it’s going straight in the trash.” Granted, he was talking about film/tv scripts, but the idea works for manuscripts as well. And, well, I wasn’t paying attention, and it might end up costing me. However…lesson learned.
So no matter what you think of (seemingly) outdated Standard Manuscript Formats? Get over it. Suck it up. Pay attention. This is your job, your responsibility. Take it seriously. (And yes, that’s directed at me as much as anyone else.) And now? And now get over your mistake and move on.