by Joe Wallace

Editors are a busy lot. We’ve got typos to correct, abused commas that need first aid, and metaphors to un-mix. It’s a fulltime job. When you’ve got Glenn Beck misspelling “oligarchy” on national television, you know your inbox is going to be flooded with people writing “there” when they meant “they’re” and “affect” when they meant “effect”.

So how can you earn the undying gratitude of your poor, harried editor? By not committing one of these offenses that will, someday, be punishable by large fines and jail time:

5. Failure to follow instructions. This is often the case when simple, but important items like how to attribute a source are concerned. If the publication wants present tense, be OCD about it. “Johnny says the biggest thrill of his life was becoming a were-spider.” as opposed to “Johnny said being a were-spider is better than being a were-lobster”. If you just double check that little thing your editor wants, it saves a lot of trouble on the back end. And they love you for it. Continue reading Top 5 Editor Pet Peeves →