2/16/09

Freudian Types

Not that I put a lot of stock in Freud. But, since what I mean is basically a Freudian slip in written form, I call them FTs.

Over a year ago, I had a brief writing frenzy. I was away from my computer when it really took hold. Furious scribbles on a plane, scraps of paper. When I got home, I tried to write on the computer, but it stopped. So I went back to pen and paper.

For a couple weeks, I did nothing else, I could think of nothing else. I just kept filling up paper. But around the 3rd or 4th pack of typing paper, I started trying to sort through it all, typed up some bits.

I had written without reading, just gushgushgushrace on the pages. And I discovered all sorts of cool stuff. Ideas tangled into ideas.

Most of my misspellings were not simply spelling the word wrong, but trying to throw another word or idea in.

Mid-word capitalization was also significant, and odd spacing. Those ones don't transfer to computer typing, holding down a shift key, or a space bar, is too deliberate for them to slip in... but I have found that the spelling kind does.

If I am really trying to get an idea out, I look at the keys, not the page, and don't correct any mistakes until the end.

When I look back, it's easy to tell what is a spelling mistake and what is an actual FT.

Hehe, that sentence was a good example. Here's what I typed raw:

when i look back it is reasy to tell whick whicj are spelling mistakes and when are actal fts

So, I guess you could call reasy and whicj FTs, but they are not really interesting enough. Real easy and which just. Actal is an actual mistake... I think. I suspect subconscious deliberateness since I found it funny. Whick was a tangential thought about Ick, since I first explained FTs to him.

Spellcheck found 2 FTs:
tangeled: tangled into and gelled
delibratness: deliberate brattiness

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Not so much the freudian ones, me.
But in speech when i'm tired or in a hurry I blust (just blurt) out words like that.

Usually they are in-between words, like taking two paths to the same destination.

But for big words, i often can't get the right word, so i have to use a place-holder word....often an expletive....to get my meaning across.

Type it in....the thing....the THING!