A version of this was published on an older (now defunct) blog of mine. Enjoy! And let me know if these bring up any bad memories.
1) Misspelling the name of the person you’re writing to in an email or cover letter.
2) Producing an embarrassing typo for a word like ‘batch,’ ‘feckless,’ or ‘public.’
3) Putting the finishing touches on a 10-page essay, only to re-read the essay question and realize you didn’t answer it.
4) Repeatedly misusing ‘matriculate,’ ‘genuflect,’ ‘obfuscate,’ or any other polysyllabic word that was supposed to make you sound smart.
5) That brilliant manifesto/sonnet/one-act play you wrote last night? What it looks like the next morning.
6) Working on a 5000-word paper that’s due in less than 24 hours and based on volumes of source material you haven’t yet read.
7) Forgetting to delete something from your submitted work, such as a note you left for yourself. (“What am I even talking about?” or “Find source to back up this nonsense.”)
8) Basing the central argument of your essay on a logical fallacy or on your misreading of another person’s work.
9) Running out of ideas.
10) Submitting a piece of writing before you’ve fini
Bright Across the Lifespan 