I'll never get this word right. Ugh!!!

You ever run into words that you know are simple and easy yet you still cannot for the life of you spell or use properly?

Patience
Patients

Ugh! Which one is which again? (I know. Just venting here)

It's one of the most commonly miss-used word not because it is spelled incorrectly, but because one is subbed for another.

And for the life of me I can never get it right.

I'm a bit OCD and I always agonize of the mistakes I make in my writing, especially after sending emails and what not. So of course I am absolutely horrified to see myself constantly making the same mistakes over and over and over, especially when I make them in bad situations.

Imaging my horror to see an email response I sent to a publisher when requesting a status update...

Thank you for indulging my anxiety with an update. I will try and be a little more patient.

OMG did I really mis-use patience?? To a publisher!! I must look like a complete idiot.

*hangs head in shame*

So indulge me a little. Make me feel like I am not the only one out there who can't seem to get certain words right. Please tell me you have made mistakes like this in the past.

13 comments:

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Definitely! You're not alone! I misspelled a word when I emailed an editor last summer. It took several days for me to come down off of that one!

Susan R. Mills said...

Actually, I believe (not sure) that your sentence is correct. Now if you had said, I will try and exercise a little more patients, that would be wrong. At any rate, I know what you mean. I am horrified by the mistakes I make. By the way, be sure to stop by my blog tomorrow.

Corey Schwartz said...

Katie,

Don't worry! You did NOT misuse "patient" in your letter to the publisher. You would have been mistaken if you had said, "I will try to have more patients." But, as you worded it, it was correct!

Katie Salidas said...

Thanks for the reassurance. I am such a nervous wreck when it comes to subbing my work. I think I will have a heart attack before this novel is published. LoL

Unknown said...

Now your just making me feel bad. I am the worlds worst speller. I wouldn't be surprized if there are errors in almost every single email I send. And hominims like patients/patience are the worst, cause spell check doesn't catch them.

Today's Pimp My Novel post was about the importants of good spelling too. I think we might all be doomed.

Natalie said...

Hi Katie! I'm new to your blog today.

I noticed you were right too. And speaking of too, to and too are my own personal word use problems. I know which is which, but I catch them being misused all the time when I'm revising. It happens. That's why we revise :)

Katie Salidas said...

Kate, you are not alone when it comes to spelling issues. Thanks for letting me know about PMN new post. I'll go check it out.

Natalie, welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by. I misuse to and too all the time!

Deb said...

I can't think of any specific words but I have quite a few that I regularly mess up on. I keep promising myself I'll make a list of those boo boo's to look for when I'm revising but I haven't yet...

Stephanie McGee said...

I find that if I hit a word I'm not sure on, I pick a different one that I know I can use correctly.

And your sentence was correct so you don't need to worry about it.

kah said...

Than and then. Principal and Principle. Lay, lie, laid, etc. Ugh.

Its all a learning process.
I tagged you on my blog today. You're it!

Diana Paz said...

Ugh, conscience and conscious ... I get the different meanings but my fingers type them wrong again and again, especially when if I get ambitious and go for subconscious and self-conscious and conscientious. Aw crud I'm mixed the heck up again.

Nevine Sultan said...

I'm extremely OC, and much to my discomfort, I actually have come to the realization that it's my obsessive-compulsive nature that CAUSES me to make errors, and also to overlook them. I'm so focused on trying to find mistakes, I look and look and don't see them. No, you're definitely not the only one!

Stephanie said...

Hi Katie-
Ok I love when others admit their mistakes for completely selfish reasons I might add.
I had access to the head publisher of a wildly popular essay series of books. Worked by butt off to get this piece done in a day or two and then attached the draft version of it instead of the finished piece!!! I didn't discover this until weeks later. OMG is all I can say. I offered a huge mea culpa, stated it was a hard lesson learned and hung my head in shame for a few days.
Not mixing up words just the entire document, so I feel your pain!
Thanks for sharing your story!
Stephanie

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.