I came across this little ditty today and got quite the chuckle of it. It relates back to my post about tattoos from a while back. The moral of the story? Perhaps proofreading your store’s signage is a good idea, especially when you’re in the business of permanently inking someone up! Enjoy…
I recently got an iPhone. Before my iPhone I had a BlackBerry with a full keyboard. I could type with my eyes closed, hit send and have confidence that most of the time my message would say exactly what I wanted to. However, now with my iPhone I’m finding it much more difficult to send texts, especially if I’m multitasking or trying to send one in a rush.
And, it’s never when I’m texting Hayley, or someone where when autocorrect takes over and completely alters the text message to mean something different, or worse, turns a word into something, well, dirty. It’s usually my mom, or when I’m sending an email to someone important.
I learned my lesson the hard way after sending a few text messages or emails that got “uh, Dani, what’s that supposed to mean?” as a response. Usually it’s just my mom, who’s uh, less than experienced on her smartphone herself. Within minutes, I’ll always get a response back. Like the other day. I sent her an email from my phone that should have read: “Yeah it’s marked on my calendar.” However, thanks to autocorrect it read: “Yeah, it’s makeshift on my calendar.” Within seconds I had a response…. “What does makeshift mean.” Apparently the editor gene runs in the family. Luckily, it was just an email to my mom. And… it could have been a lot worse.
I have learned to always reread my text messages and emails, and well, anything that’s being typed via my iPhone at least twice over before I hit the send button. It’s better to be safe than sorry… especially now that I’ll be looking for a job sometime soon.
How about you guys? Any funny autocorrect stories to share?
I’m about to head off to Calgary for my work placement, for a whopping five weeks. I’m excited. I need a little bit of an adventure, and it will be nice to get out of the city for a bit.
However, what I’m not excited about is packing for this five week stint away from home. I’ve always been an awful packer, even when I’m just going away for the weekend… so packing for five weeks is slightly daunting.
I tend to overpack. I’m a girl who likes her options. I always take twice the amount of clothing that I need, so that I’m not limited to a certain amount of options. I take multiple pairs of shoes, because I never know which ones I’m going to want to wear, and it’s arguable that I pack my entire medicine cabinet.
See how that might pose a problem when I’m trying to pack for five weeks?
Yeah, me too.
So, I’ve vowed that this time when I pack, I’m going to pack more efficiently so that I don’t end up stuffing the entire contents of my bedroom into my car. Yeah, I’m driving, by the way. This is a bonus, because it means I’m not limited to the standard one suitcase, and one carry on. But, like I said, I don’t want to end up with my entire bedroom minus the bed in my vehicle.
I’ve come up with a few ways that I’m going to (hopefully) edit my packing.
#1. Make lists. I’m going to make lists of everything I think I’ll need while I’m gone. Yes, I like to make lists, so it’ll be detailed. What work outfits I want to take (right down to specific pairs of pants/skirts/shirts etc.), what non work outfits I want to take, the shoes/boots I want to have with my, my dress coat, my casual coat, my snowboarding gear…. you get the idea.
#2. Limit myself to two suitcases (a big and a little one), and one box. The two suitcases need to fit all of the clothes I’m going to take, a few books, my school stuff (computer, charger, IPP stuff, etc.), my toiletries, and anything else I want to bring. The box will be for shoes/boots. AND my coats can just get thrown in the car.
#3. Pack only travel sized shampoo, conditioner and contact solution. Really, all I need is enough to last me for a couple of nights. I can purchase these things once I arrive in Calgary and get all settled in to my aunt and uncle’s house.
#4. Pack a few days in advance. My packing abilities are always the worst when I’m packing last minute. This is usually when I end up trying to stuff the entire contents of my closet into one suitcase, because it’s usually midnight the night before I’m to leave, and I’m exhausted and incapable of making decisions. So, I’ve vowed that for this trip, I’m going to be packed at least three days before I leave.
#5. Start organizing things/doing laundry/laying out clothes, toiletries etc, a few days before I pack. I’m going to make myself a little space in my bedroom for “trip stuff,” and as I do laundry, start setting aside clean clothes and things that I’ll be taking with me.
Hopefully, the little edits I make to packing for this trip will mean I pack more efficiently, forget less, and don’t end up packing millions of things that are completely unnecessary (like the entire contents of my closet).
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Front page headline of the Toronto Sun the day after Toronto's election
We’ve got a liberal minority. Welcome to hell.
Great front page headline, Toronto Sun. Almost as good as Winnipeg Sun’s “Fear Wins,” the day after our election. (That was sarcasm, if you didn’t catch it.)
When Duncan asked us to blog about headlines this week, I knew immediately that I wanted to blog about this headline.
Sure, the headline doesn’t really break any of the CP stylebook’s guidelines for headlines we’ve looked at in the past couple of weeks, and I guess, kudos to the Sun as I’m sure the headline caught a lot of attention. But really? Welcome to Hell?
No. I don’t think so.
In fact, I can think of a lot more hellish places than Toronto with a liberal minority. I’m sure you can too.
In regards to the Winnipeg Sun’s front page headline, “Fear Wins,” I can say that I know a lot of people who were pleased with the election outcomes – and who would definitely argue that statement.
I can also think of a few other headlines from Sun Media that have been… well, less than classy.
So, Sun Media. I think the conclusion here is that you need to work on your front page headlines.
Tonight I went to see extremely talented Vancouver musician, Dan Mangan, play at the Garrick Centre.
To my delight, both of his opening bands: The Crackling, and Daredevil Christopher Wright were pretty stellar as far as opening bands go, and I got really into both of them.
To my surprise, however, I noticed that I was surrounded by a sea of 16-year-old kids (yes, it was an all ages show). First of all, at 22-years-old it, made me feel ancient. Second of all, I noticed that most of these kids were extremely lacking when it came to concert etiquette – particularly in a venue in which if you wanted to get close you had to stand for the entire show.
These kids have a few things to learn.
That being said, I felt it fitting for this post to talk about about editing your concert etiquette. Here’s a few tips.
#1. I realize it’s a little crowded, but really – the venue isn’t over capacity so there’s really no reason for you to be breathing down my neck. Please, please take at least a couple of steps backwards and give me even an inch or two of personal space.
#2. If you’re going to stand behind me and talk through the entirety of both of the opening acts, and then sporadically throughout the rest of the show go to the back of the theatre. I didn’t pay $30 to stand here and listen to you have a conversation. I came to listen to the music.
#3. I get it. You want to take pictures. And that’s cool. I’m one to pull out my iPhone and snap a few photos myself. However, if you’re going to stand in front of me I’ll ask you not to stand there for the whole show with your arm lifted above your head, trying to snap as many photos as you can. I’m short, and I’m standing directly behind you. And now I can’t see.
#4. Everyone (who’s over 18, I hope) wants to have a couple of drinks at a show. Me included. I’m not opposed to this, but, if you plan on having more than one or two drinks throughout the show – get a couple at a time. The fact that you keep pushing your way out of the crowd (and elbowing me on the way out), and then pushing your way back in five minutes later (and elbowing me on the way back in) kind of makes me want to shove you a swift elbow to the ribs and spew a few profanities. There’s really no need to leave the theatre 50 times in a three hour concert. At the very least, if you’re planning on leaving more than once or twice, stand near the back. Thanks.
#5. I know. You’re on a date with your girlfriend. And it’s a great date. I’d be a pretty happy camper if my date surprised me with tickets to a Dan Mangan show. However, I’d appreciate if you didn’t stand in front of me and drape yourself all over your significant other. First of all, you’ve now created a door with no windows, and short little me can’t see. Second of all, I’d really like to watch Dan Mangan strum his guitar, not you throw yourself all over your girlfriend. Fair?
I guess these might mean I finally fall into the grouchy, old concert attendee. I’m sure in my younger days I’ve probably broken all of these rules at least once, and I probably annoyed someone just as much as these things annoyed me tonight. Now that I realize how awful it is to be surrounded by a bunch of young kids who are too busy playing kissy-face; trying to snap a good photo; or leaving to go get beer to enjoy the music – especially when I want nothing more to, I realize how much even these few little things grind my gears.
So next time you find yourself at a concert, look around – you’ll probably notice at least a few of these concert etiquette fails. I just hope you’re not committing any.
I have no bigger pet peeve than people who have poor grammar, or who mix up the spelling of common words.
And it happens all the time.
On Facebook. on Twitter, in emails… I see it everywhere. And it drives me nuts.
Because it drives me nuts, I am always extra cautious whenever I tweet, post on Facebook, and email. And, I also spend a lot of time correcting my friends’ posts.
I know, I know, I know. Some might argue that it’s just Facebook, or just a tweet, but c’mon people… yes, others are out there judging you on your awful grammar, and yes, I’m one of those people.
Some of the most common mishaps I see are as follows:
Oh Hayley, I think your so pretty.
No. That book is yours. Your house is far. I have your pen.
You are = you’re. Therefore, you’re very pretty. You’re a good singer. You’re fun to hang out with.
There house is very large.
No, their house is over there. And they’re living in it together.
See the difference?
The book was old, and it’s pages were turning brown.
NO! It’s a very old book ( it’s = it is), and its pages are tearing.
Do I need to reiterate? It is = it’s. Its = possessive. Clear?
I think these are probably the three mistakes I see most often. And as an editor, they drive me crazy. I don’t know how many times I’ve corrected a friends’ email message, or text message – and in turn probably made them very unhappy with me. I’ve even been called the grammar police.
But, if I have one, single tip to pass on to anyone posting messages in a public medium. PLEASE, I beg you, edit your content for grammatical errors before you post it, tweet it, text it, or hit the send button in gmail. Please.
Both of these photos are of my tattoos. The eagle is my first tattoo– and yes, the saying is from the Robert Munsch book. “Have hope” is my most recent tattoo; a little reminder to myself.
In getting both of these tattoos I sat down with the tattoo artists and went over them extensively. Again, and again, and again. We talked about placement: where I wanted the lettering to go, where exactly I wanted it on my body, and how large I wanted it.
We also went over spelling. Several times. In both cases, the tattoo artist had me check the spelling, and check the spelling again, and then check one more time just to be sure. This was before he even went to make a stencil.
In both cases, once the stencil was made, and on my body – the artists had me look in the mirror and check the tattoo just one more time; even before they opened up the ink and began to tattoo, just to make sure everything was correct, and just the way I wanted it.
In both cases, it was only after about an hour of making sure everything was exactly the way I wanted it, that the artists opened the ink, and put the needle to my skin.
Sometimes however, this degree of carefulness is not the case.
So, what happens when customers aren’t adamant about checking, and double checking to be sure everything about the soon-to-be tattoo is absolutely perfect BEFORE it’s permanently inked into their skin? And what happens when tattoo artists forget to double check their work before they pull out the needle and go to town?
I’ll show you a few examples. See if you can “spot the screw ups.” (both examples found on elistmania.com)
If these tattoo screw ups aren’t an indication of why it’s important to be very sure things are spelled correctly before having them permanently tattooed on your skin – I don’t know what is.
I know I sure as heck wouldn’t want to walk around with “spot the screwups” on my skin for the rest of my life – and I have to say: I’m very pleased that my tattoos turned out just the way I wanted them to.
I’m learning quickly that (as much as I love it) editing a newspaper can get extremely frustrating. Yes, I’m talking about The Projector.
The most frustrating thing: Picking up the new issue of the paper and realizing there’s mistakes on the cover, again.
This issue, there’s an apostrophe on CEOs where there shouldn’t be. On the cover. Gah.
Now, even as the Co Editor-in-Chief, I have to say there are no excuses for this. But, it happens. It’s not for lack of effort, either. We pored over the copy, inside and out. Two sets of eyes read it. Multiple times. How in the heck did we miss that stupid apostrophe on the cover?
It will forever be those tiny little errors on the cover, and in headlines, that nag at me. They drive me insane.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, right?
I’ve started to make myself lists of things to look for during production in order to catch these pesky little errors. For each issue that comes out I make a list of things that I’ve noticed, and what to watch for when it comes to the production of the next issue.
Here’s a few things that have made my list, thus far:
• Quadruple check the front cover. Pore over it with a fine-tooth comb if you have to. Check. Walk away. Come back and check it again. Do that multiple times. Even when you think everything’s perfect, it’s very likely there’s going to be an error. And it always comes to bite you in the ass when the issue hits the stands.
• Make sure that the page numbers listed on the front and inside teasers match where the story is actually placed inside the paper. Double check this. Maybe even triple check.
• Ensure all of the contributors names are spelled right. They tend to be unhappy when they’re not.
• Check that all fonts used for headlines and subheads are consistent throughout the newspaper.
• Make sure the dates at the bottoms of the pages are that of the current issue – using a template from previous issues can make this tricky; and if you’re not careful, it’s an easy one to miss.
• Ensure that all photos have cutlines, and that the cutlines are correct.
• Print out the PDFs of the pages, go through them with a highlighter. Fix any errors. Repeat if necessary (it’s probably a good idea to look through them more than once).
• Double check (or triple check) the PDFs before you send them to the printer. It’s never too late to catch errors.
There you have it, my editing to-do list. I hope that if you ever find yourself editing a newspaper, these tips come in handy (and will hopefully help you catch those pesky little errors).
Hayley and I have been running story meetings/ workshops for first-years writing for The Projector. We started off these meetings taking examples from the previous week’s paper and discussing them: how to improve leads, how to properly use CP style, and all of the handy tips we’ve picked up in our experience both as writers and editors.
Though we make an effort to always stay encouraging – reminding them that their stories aren’t bad; they just need a few improvements, there were quite a few complaints that we were “tearing apart their work.” They didn’t seem too happy with the way we were running our meetings.
I think we might have hurt a few feelings.
So, this week we decided to switch things up. Each of us found stories that we’d written – Hayley’s from when she started out at the Selkirk Journal when she was 19, and mine, one of the first stories I wrote for The Projector last year. We let the first-year’s pick apart our stories: what they thought about the leads, and things they noticed about them that could be improved. We didn’t tell them who wrote the stories.
They went to town.
“This lead’s too long.” ” That paragraph is an entire sentence, where’s the periods?” “The real story is buried halfway down the page.”
At the end of the workshop Hayley and I looked each other and started to laugh.
“Hey guys, guess what? These were some of the first stories we ever wrote for a newspaper.”
The first-years looked at us, shocked.
“But you guys are the editors-in-chief.”
That made me laugh. It was only a year ago that I was in their very same shoes – and I’m still a long, long way away from perfect. In fact, I know I’ve still got a lot left to learn.
We had a few students come up to us after the meeting and thank us for sharing our own work.
“It doesn’t make me feel so bad about mine,” one student said.
Looking back at my story I realized how much I have learned in the past year – and how far I’ve come since the first story meetings I attended last September.
“The only way you’re going to improve is by practicing. Keep writing. Keep coming to meetings. Keep asking for feedback on your stories. Talk to us, talk to your instructors. Use your Caps & Spelling.”
I said that to a student today when they came to ask advice on how to improve their writing.
I know it’s how I’ve improved.
(And no, I’m not posting the story … the long-winded lead, run-on sentences, and buried story are best left off the internet.)
A lot of you already know that I’m writing a book for my IPP. This work-in-progress book is called Project Peace, and will profile approximately 12 young Canadians who are working towards positive change; both in their own communities, as well as globally.
Before I can even begin to edit my book I need to write it, and in order to have the necessary information I need to write each profile, I need to conduct a series of interviews with the people I’ve selected to appear in the book.
Let me tell you… this has been a process – and one that’s not yet complete.
As I’m coming to the end of this phase of my IPP, I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned throughout the interviewing process.
• If the person you need to interview doesn’t get back to you after the first email, send another one. Follow that email up with a phone call, and another email if necessary. Eventually, they’re going to get sick of you pestering them and get back to you.
• Sometimes interviews are going to fall through. Sometimes an interview subject might cancel on you last minute. Don’t get discouraged by this – there’s always someone else on the list. (Oh yeah, make sure you’ve found MORE people than you think you’ll need, just in case this happens).
• When you finally do swing an interview, prep your interview questions beforehand. Organize them on a paper in the order you are going to ask them. Things will run more smoothly if you go in knowing what you want to talk about; and if your questions easily transition into one another.
• Do NOT meet your interviewees in a pub. Your little RCA voice recorder will have a very hard time picking up what they’re saying amidst all the background noise. Opt for somewhere quiet – like a coffee shop.
• Another note about the voice recorder: if it takes batteries, always make sure you put fresh ones in BEFORE you start the interview. There is nothing worse than having to scratch down quotes verbatim because your recorder stopped working.
• Keep track of the timecode on the recorder when your interviewee says something you might want to use. That way, instead of having to listen back to the entire 45 minute interview, you can fast forward to the juicy quotes.
• As much as they may be awkward, pregnant pauses are a good thing. Not only do they let you catch up if you’re taking notes, these pregnant pauses are a good time for your interview subject to collect THEIR thoughts and add in anything they may have missed.
Once you’ve mastered interviewing, the rest is easy….
(Yeah, right.)
Write, Edit, Sleep, Repeat 
