We all know how bloopers are all like. They’re that after-credit multiple retakes of some scenes in a movie. Or that hidden camera video logs of pranks-turned-entertainment shows. Or it can be that plain embarrassing moment of doing something that you didn’t even plan on doing but still ended up doing it.

In writing, there are also bloopers. Yes, they may come in the form of mistakes but instead of eliciting a displeased reaction from your audience, they ended up laughing over the mistake. Or let’s say, I ended up rolling on the floor laughing because of my own mistake. 😀

So, here’s my list of writing bloopers which I’m sure you’ll be able to relate to one way or another. Laughing is permissible on these grounds. I allow it as long as I don’t hear it. —-> lol 😀

Because Laughter is the Best Medicine | The Fun in Writing Bloopers

1. “Gaaaah!!! What is THAT WORD doing there?!?!”

Yes, this is precisely the moment when you’re done publishing a post but because you were too sleepy or feeling unwell, you just went ahead and wrote a “quick” and yet sloppy article. Only then did you realize your mistake after it’s been published for hours a.k.a. a lot of people have already seen your errors. You know it can be the end of your reputation as a writer or even your writing career when you’ve got misplaced words inappropriately used all over your content both in structure and in context.

The best word to describe this phenomenon? It is this – C.R.I.N.G.E. 😀

2. When distractions hit you hard.

This is partly connected to item #1 and also the reason why I love to write in solitude where I have minimal distractions. I don’t work in cafes but work inside the comfort of my own room/office instead. If I’m going to be working in a company’s office, I’d probably request for a work station facing a white wall. And no, not because I am being punished.

But because I’d like to avoid that moment wherein an object, a person, or a situation caught your attention while you were writing or typing something. The next time you read what you typed, whatever object, person, or situation you saw, they are now part of your story and they’re totally unrelated to the topic. Think of a tiny plant growing in the middle of a skyscraper made of pure concrete, that’s basically it. 😀

3. When it’s just all gone.

Now, this blooper may be a blooper to me at first, but I usually end up crying (this is an exaggeration, of course) afterward. Not tears of joy but that of desperation and anguish. I am very sure this happened to all of us regardless if it happened back when you were a student or as a working professional now.

It is that ever blooper of being too eager to start on your article, forgetting to save the document, deciding to do something while in the middle, closing your laptop and hurriedly clicking a reply to a prompt, and then asking yourself later on, “Oh wait, what was that prompt all about again?”

And the worst part is realizing you selected the “No” button for “Do you want to save the document?”.

The way I describe this feeling while laughing and crying at the same time is this – NOOOOOOO. I now hate my laptop. And myself. And the world. 😀

Writing is not just about grammatical errors. It can also be a whole lot of fun and laughter. I am sure you’re going to laugh at me now if accidentally deleting written content you’ve been working on for hours is my idea of fun. It is a horrifying mistake and must be avoided at all times. But I just try to see the good side of it thinking maybe that write-up wasn’t meant to be published.

Or better yet, the new version will be delivered in a better way because the ideas are still fresh on your head and yet the situation may have presented you a different angle on how to attack the topic. Think of it as an auto-correct where the system just deleted your entire work because its quality is subpar. With the first item, it’s a lesson learned to edit and do more editing even if it’ll take hours before the article goes live.

How about you? Do you have other writing bloopers aside from the ones I mentioned above? I’d like to hear your experiences, too. Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at you. That is, without your permission. 😀

Always writing for the sake of writing,