13Oct

Pro tip: The more you make the job about style, maybe even grammar, the easier it will be to lay you off

There are worlds where style and grammar are everything. This is not about them. This is about where there’s so much more editors must do.

12Oct

The best decision I ever made about my writing was also the easiest one

Don Draper said it in the “Mad Men” world of advertising: “Stop writing for other writers.” I heard it long before the show ever aired.

11Oct

Some of the most boring writing I’ve ever seen follows all the rules

Given a chance for a do-over in how I’ve done journalism, I’d probably want to break the rules even more often in my writing than I did.

03Oct

An editor friend said it best: Why encase the language in amber?

Let’s not freeze language in time. Let’s not try to encase it in amber.

27Sep

I’d like a word, please, about ‘unnecessary’ words

Speech bubble made up from hundreds of words

I get that many of my opinions about editing aren’t the norm. I’m okay with that. Most days, I’d put my edits up against anyone’s.

22Sep

Banned Books Week begins with the appropriate mug for tonight’s editing shift

There is only one mug I can drink from while I edit this afternoon and tonight.

20Sep

Thinking about when someone writes ‘individual’ when ‘person’ would do just fine

Published September 20, 2024

When I read or hear “individual” in journalism, as in “police described the individual” a certain way, I just assume police language is being parroted reflexively by reporters so conditioned to doing so that they don’t realize it.

I prefer “person” to “individual” in much the same way I prefer “buy” to “purchase,” “find” to “locate,” “use” to “utilize” and other similar examples when the plain-language version would do. It’s my educated guess that people like to use the fancy word to make things sound more important. A predawn vertical insertion is still an invasion, unless it’s a practice invasion.

What are your thoughts when you see “individual” when “person” would be fine? What are your thoughts after reading this? Do you think, “Wow, Carly is an individual in need of a life”?

A version of this post first appeared on LinkedIn. Editing tips here are mine unless noted.

Image of blocks spelling journalism by Polarpx via Shutterstock.