Oh, God. Why?

Dressed in a simple white chemise, stitched with a hint of gold at the bosom, the Faerie Queen made a symphony of white and gold.

White and gold, huh? You don’t say.

The Faerie Queen, on a dais across the room, rose from the simple wood chair in which she sat talking with a cluster of other Fae.

It’s like I was trying to use every preposition in one sentence.

On the other hand, I’m quite fond of this image.

The naiad hummed under her breath and the gills on the side of her neck yawned pink against her pale blue skin.

I read all my manuscripts out loud. It’s not just spelling errors or missing words that I’m looking for. It’s things like this.

Cassie looked ahead, expecting to see the Queen’s Court, but the road through the forest still wove through the trees.

No kidding. Really? The forest had trees in it? Wow.

Maybe I should just say…

Cassie looked ahead, expecting to see the Queen’s Court, but the road still wove through the forest.

Michael Livingston pointed out this handy tutorial called “The The Impotence of Proofreading.” If only everyone who submitted to Shimmer would study this closely.