You know how movies will show outtakes of scenes where actors (or perhaps a piece or scenery) doesn’t quite work out as planned? Usually, these are hysterical and it’s difficult for the actors to refocus without botching the retake by once again laughing.

When you are a writer, you also experience outtakes. But since writing is a solitary process, you might say to yourself, “Well, that was dumb.” You then correct it and move on to the next sentence or paragraph. Of course, this mess up is quickly forgotten.

I’m ever so grateful that my cousin, Joyce Acciaioli Rufge, is an expert when it comes to Italian culture and the Italian language. In my latest book, Let’s Make A Miracle, there are about 15 easily understood Italian words/terms scattered throughout the manuscript.

Here is my outtake. We’re at the private aviation plane parking area at Teterboro Airport (outside NYC) and Maria Soriano confronts her attorney son who opts to not jet back to FL with her and her friends aboard their private plane: “You can’t spend five minutes with your mother. It if wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be standing here treating me like this? Mi fa cagare.”

What I wanted to say is “…treating me like this? You make me sick.”

Joyce informed me that what I actually said was: “…treating me like this. You make me sh*t?”

Needless to say, it’s been changed.

But I’m still laughing at my personal outtake.