Your spellcheck just bounced: three tips for copy editing

Copy editing is a tough business, you have to know every grammar rule there is or suffer the wrath of hundred of e-mails flooding your inbox warning you of the obviously misplaced comma in your article.

Sometimes it's worse than just a missing comma though, sometimes one typo can give your message an entirely different feel.

The Public Relations department for Rick Santorum will back me up on this.  A recent e-mail went out with one missing letter in the subject line, and yet it changes the entire tone of the message.

Usually, when there is a minor typo somewhere in your press release or your e-mail , you can simply resend a corrected e-mail and include something like UPDATE: or (use this copy) in the subject line.  This typo was not so fortunate, it quickly appeared on social media sites and then spread to news sites.

This unfortunate gem has also been making its way around the social media circuit.

Both of these mistakes can be avoided in the future with three simple tips.

Three simple tips for safe copy editing

1.  Read your story backwards.  It can be easy to read over a typo when you're reading a sentence because your mind will fix it for you.  You know what the sentence is suppose to say, such as:

Mary had a

a little lamb

When you first read the sentence, it can be very easy to miss that there are actually two a's.  If you read the words backwards one at a time, the a's stand out like a sore thumb. Spellchecker is a great tool, but it only catches words that aren't actually words.  Pubic is a real word, spellchecker won't catch that you meant to say public instead. If you start and the end of the story and read backwards, these kinds of words stand out like a sore thumb and can save you a lot of embarrassment.

2.  Read something else.  When you write a story or a press release, you know what it's about so it makes sense to you.  It can be heard to see it through the eyes of your readership. Step away from the computer for a minute, pull a book off a shelf and read a chapter.  This will help you come back to your writing with fresh eyes and help you see the parts that aren't explained well enough or that might be confusing to your readership. 

3.  Do the math.  I can almost hear the collective groan.  I know a lot of people who thought that once they got out of high school, they would never have to do math again.  If your article has a pie chart, percentages, places or any other quantitative mathematical numbers, take a pen and paper and make sure everything adds up.  Just like a spelling error, a math error can take the focus away from your message.

Tigers, seals and anger oh my!

Last week I gave some tips about talking to the press.  One of the tips was about anger.

4.  Don't get angry
Many people know the line "Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."  It's a famous line from the tv series The Incredible Hulk where, when angered, a scientist would turn into a large hulking monster and destroy everything around him. 

In a TV interview, the reporter may do things that get under your skin or annoy you.  You have to remember that if you lose your temper, they don't have to show the 20 minutes of the reporter making you angry, they can just show your reaction and then you come off as unprofessional.  Be calm, collected and have facts ready. 

There are times when a reporter or even different reporters will ask you the same question over and over again.  Sometimes it's because they didn't get the perfect sound bite or might needed it worded a little differently, you may have been looking away or used filler words like 'uhh' and 'uhm', bu the important thing is to stick with your messages.

Tiger Woods, usually a solid interview, went slightly off the rails at a recent press conference.

For the first question he's getting off topic and coming off as kind of whiney because the media is paying more attention to him that other players.  While it may be a pain, that's a golden opportunity. 

"There is a lot of media attention on me, as [List of accolades] I certainly expect to be in the spotlight. It can be difficult, but I try to remember that I need to be a role model out there.  When I started golfing back in 1996, golf was seen more as an old man sport.  Today, we have players who are younger and younger.  I strive to remember that I need to be a role model for all those who are trying to follow in my footsteps.  I know it will be difficult, but i'm fortunate to be surrounded by good friends and family."

Now instead of whinging about how unfair it is, he's just given reporters a bunch of soundbites about how awesome he is, and he's still going to try and mentor others to be awesome like him.  Those kinds of quotes show up on the cover of magazines and sportscasts all the time.

It's similar to when you go to a job interview and the dreaded question of 'What are some of your weaknesses?' comes up.  You can either actually list your strengths as weaknesses, or list a weakness and talk about how you overcome it, but you never want to list a weakness and just leave it sit there.

Then he's asked about a quote from a the book "The Big Miss" writting by golfing coach Hank Haney.  In the book, it's alleged that Tiger Woods was interested in becoming a Navy Seal.  Now, it doesn't matter if it's true or not, because this is the golden opportunity for a solid quote.

"I have the utmost respect for the troops.  I wouldn't be able to do what I do today if it wasn't or the sacrifices they've made over the years.  My idea of a bad day is missing a putt, their idea of a bad day is taking enemy fire.  While I may never get to experience their life, I will always respect it and what they do for this country."

He could even sprinkle in quotes about how proud he is of his fathers military service during Vietnam.

Even if the reporter asks you 20 times about an item, you want to have a statement prepared.  You can say it a couple ways, add a couple different inflections, but stay on topic.  Just because they ask more than once doesn't mean they're expecting you to give a different answer, it's more like being on the set of a movie and they're just looking for that perfect take.  Don't give them one for the gag reels; stay calm, stay on topic and remember the message you want to convey.