Flawless, smooth, and without a single misplaced comma to be found. That was pretty much what I thought of my manuscript excerpt when I brought it to my monthly writing group last Thursday. Naturally I was totally wrong.

As I started to read the pages out loud to the group, a myriad of mistakes suddenly popped out at me. The thing was a complete mess, full of more grammar mistakes and awkward sequences than the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun lip sync performance I did in grade seven.

And though it was slightly embarrassing to know I had spelled ‘their’ the wrong way three times in FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE, it did teach me something. Next time I do a copy edit, I am going to have to talk, not just read, my way through it.