Luncheon grammar mistake

All around the office today there are signs inviting people to the department luncheon on Monday.  They are really fun…minus the giant spelling error in the title of the luncheon.  “COME  ‘ N ‘ EAT!”  Why are there two apostrophes?!

More ideas when working with writers

I thought it would be a good idea to list some of my ideas that I think would help with regards to working with writers. Here is a list of ideas that I came up with that were not found in our reading.

Here are five tips that would be helpful when working with writers.

1. Take the time to listen. In too many instances, editors are ready to tell everything that went wrong with a writer’s story. Instead of always telling people what they did wrong, take the time to find out why they did things a certain way and listen to what they have to say. Listening should be an important tool for any editor to find out what their writer is thinking.

2. Be consistent. As an editor, it’s important to be consistent. As a result, writers will then know what is expected of them and as an editor you need to be consistant as well.

3. Expect the writers to do their best. Many writers may think that because they have an editor, all their problems and mistakes will be fixed by someone else. As a result, many writers might not always do their best job. As an editor, it will be important that you stress to your writers to always do their best no matter what.

4. Be approachable. As an editor, it will be important to make sure your writers feel comfortable talking to you. Instead of creating an image that is intimidating, try becoming approachable so you can help your writers do a better job.

5. Have fun. Don’t make your job and the writer’s job feel like a chore. Try to have fun with your writers so they can be the best they can be. This will cause less stress on the job and hopefully create a positive work environment.

A last piece of editing advice

Well, it looks like we all made it and the class is finally coming to a close. Since this is my last blog, I thought I would give some suggestions about editing as we end the class.
First off, I think this class was very helpful in regards to learning the basic editing principles. I now feel a lot more confident that I can work with other writers and give detailed advice that might help them out in their writing. While reflecting about all the assignments we had a class, here is a little bit of advice that I would leave for the class.

1.Learn as much about grammar as you can. I was so grateful that we had a chance to learn more about grammar and how it applies specifically to editing. I realize that the more I know about grammar, the better writer I am. Even if you feel you already know a lot about grammar, there is always room for improvement.

2.Try to build a solid vocabulary. By having a solid vocabulary, you can in fact turn into a better writer and editor. The more words you know the better. You will also sound more professional when you write and when you speak.

3.Read books about editing. I’m glad we had the chance to read a book about editing. By reading a book, I was able to gain more understanding about the subject of editing, and learn important principles that will help me in the future.

4.Try to do your best. Over the course of this class, I learned that editing can be difficult, yet a rewarding subject to understand. In many instances, I really had to study hard in order to gain better of an understanding about editing topics. Try to take the time to work at editing. Of course, it won’t always come easy, but in time you will only get better and better.

It has been nice to blog with all of you throughout the semester. Good luck to all of you as you continue your studies at Weber State.

Working with writers

1. Some ideas I have about being a good coach is to allow them to critique something I have written to give them practice. Allow them to take shots at my writing just as they might feel I was doing to their work.

2. Working side by side through a certain step that might be confusing adds to the tip of being available. It delivers a twist, but allows a partnership to grow.

3. This may be a little picky, but choose who you will coach. Of course, individuals will want to choose you, but if there is a personality you cannot handle then you may become too critical. It is in our human nature to not help those to our fullest capacity if we are not happy with the people we are working with. Being a good coach you need to give all of yourself.

4. Have patience! Patience is an attribute that is priceless. We can tell someone the same thing over and over and they will not understand or it may take them a long time for it to finally stick.

5. Create a wide array of tools for teaching. Not everyone learns the same way. This blurs into being creative, but it also goes along with my No. 4. If the individual does not understand, find a new way to explain it to them that they will understand.

Items that needed to be edited found at my work recruiting individuals:
“including pre-post filing activities”
“knowledge of a wide range of analytical and evaluative methods and ability to effectively analyze data an apply”

Sounding off about bad editing

I have encountered many bad headlines lately and also some very good ones. For example:  “Utah defensive end tackles odds for NFL change”  I love this headline because it draws attention. I was curious about what “odds” he was tackling. Unfortunately, the article was not as interesting as the headline, but the headline completed its task.  A poor headline I found was “Da Bears’ claws” not sure what this is about and there was not an accompanying deck to explain. 

It has been my experience that a headline is the most important starting point of the article. Without it no one reads. 

Horrible editing:                                                                                                                                                                              

I cannot say I am a proud member of South Ogden City.  I am not sure who creates the South Ogden City Sound (a monthly newsletter to locals), but I do know they need to fire their editor.  The articles are poorly written and at times completely not understandable.  One example I have is:  “South Ogden is building its’ own animal shelter.”  This may sound a little harsh, but at times I literally throw away the paper because I cannot read the content.  This example is only a minute portion of how poorly it is edited. 

Imbroglio- a complicated and embarrassing state of things.

gainsay – To deny or dispute; to declare false or invalid.

chichi: affectedly trendy

Where did the cat go?

AES plans to hire more in Davis. Does this headline grab your attention?  It did me, but only because our economy is in a downturn, and I am worried about the employment rate.  This headline does not contain a strong verb in my opinion.  It might read better if it worded: AES hires more in Davis  or Davis steals contract

It is that all-important action word that entices readers to continue. Without that strong verb the reader falls asleep and does not want to wake up. How do we get the attention and keep it? This is probably one of the most important questions someone could ask themselves when they are writing an article.

Just like the headline attached to this article it also needs to make sense. Where is the cat in this article?  Nowhere to be found.  Be creative, but be logical.  With these ideas in hand a good headlines is around the corner.

Vocabulary:

aestival: of or belonging to the summer.

sublunary: situated beneath the moon; terrestrial.

banal: commonplace; trivial.

Poor Editing:

“Street and neighborhood safety, how to get around town, and most important what to wear and what not to”.  What is this statement trying to say??

One of my all-time favorites and you find it everywhere:

EAT HERE & GET GAS

Spoonful of sugar

Want to reminisce about your childhood?  “Skip the spoonful of sugar; try hot fudge” This headline while being quite effective gave me shivers when I read it out loud. I love that it brings fond memories, and it also tells you what the article is about.  Try is the strong verb in this phrase and it works for me.  I intend to try the idea.  The article spoke of a new diet and losing weight with chocolate.  What a great diet idea.  I am sure it will sell!!

I found a poor example of a headline this week in the Standard-Examiner.  “AAUW schedules state convention” What does this acronym stand for in this headline? I have no clue what the AAUW is. We may need to rethink headlines so that we do not create confusion. This may be important to me but I would never read it unless I was a member of the AAUW. 

Vocabulary:

nascent: beginning to exist

exegesis: exposition; explanation

favonian: pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle

Shawna’s top five tips for working with writers

1. Remember that the writer has feelings and approach your conversations in a way that is respectful. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Why should someone respect you if you don’t respect them?

2. No one likes to be should upon (one of my favorite quotes!). Don’t just dictate to someone what to do. There is more than one way to do something. Be open to new ideas.

3. Don’t do for someone what they can do for themselves. Sometimes if someone makes an error it is easier to just correct it yourself rather than taking the time to seek that person out and have a conversation about it. The only problem with this is that the person will keep making the error. So, you may have saved yourself time in the short term, but not in the long term.

4. Recognize that coaching may not be easy and it may take a lot of time but that it is worth it. Consider coaching a gift. Sometimes you have to tell people things they don’t want to hear, but it is probably necessary. Find a way to say what you need to say in a constructive way rather than a critical way.

5. Listen. Actively listen to what the other person has to say. Don’t think you need to do all the talking. Also, don’t think you need to solve all their problems for them. Find questions to ask that will help them solve their own problems. Encourage critical thinking.

Vocabulary Words

Consensus (noun) agreement in the judgment or opinion reached by a group as a whole.  The committee had trouble reaching consensus on the issue.

Thrip (noun) any of various small to minute sucking insects with narrow feathery wings if any.  I was horrified to find thrip on the trees in my yard.

Yob (noun) a cruel and brutal fellow.  I thought my neighbor was just like any old yob from the movies.

Use or ‘loose’ your grammar skills

I found this example of a common error (loose/lose) in the Wildcat Room at WSU.  I also don’t think they need the article a.

Because of this class I’ve become crazed with the camera phone.  Whenever I spot an error I try to figure out how I can snap a photo of it without people thinking I’m crazy.  Too funny!

Web site layout 101

Wow. I learned a lot about Website layout from our lesson this week. I have done Web site design for a number of years, but I always focused more on the programming issues and not on the layout and design. Usually, my clients already had a layout in mind. I’m thinking back to my current client’s Web site and I think I need to suggest some improvements. From other comm classes, I’ve learned about layout but I never really applied it to Web sites. White space is a big deal, and also sticking to conventions and making sure the information that users are searching for is visible right up front. I need to make some design changes, for sure. Great lesson.

Editing mistake:
When sending in a form for an employee last night, I noticed he/she had misspelled the word received. That elementary school lesson hadn’t sunk in to someone: i before e except after c – they spelled it recieved.