My most embarrassing editing mistake?

Hi Reader,

My most embarrassing editing mistake?

That happened in my 20s.

I’d a part-time gig as a sub-editor for The Sunday Tribune.

It was a national broadsheet newspaper in Ireland, with over 177,000 readers.

Many famous Irish writers, including Booker Prize winners John Banville and Paul Lynch, got their start at the paper.

Unfortunately, the newspaper went out of business in 2011.

(Nothing to do with what I’m about to tell you!)

A sub-editor spends their day writing headlines and captions for news stories and articles. They also grammar and fact-check early drafts by the newspaper’s journalists.

I enjoyed writing headlines and captions, but grammar and fact-checking?

Less so.

Proofreading a draft on screen was difficult because the Adobe InDesign files were text-heavy.

The noisy office, tiny font size, and 17-inch monitor didn’t help.

So, I printed out the new stories, put on headphones, and read the stories line-by-line several times.

I marked up my corrections with a red pen.

Then, I opened InDesign, edited the text, and returned it to the editor.

One Sunday morning, I walked to the shop and bought the newspaper.

I brewed a cup of coffee and opened the business supplement.

I’d sub-edited the front page of that supplement the previous Friday.

I couldn’t believe it.

The caption on a front-page photo read, “Deniss business…”

Did you catch my embarrassing mistake?

I felt sick about my embarrassing mistake.

A few days later, the editor explained to me:

“As a sub-editor, you’re the last line of defense before the paper goes live.”

(Oddly enough, that wasn’t the end of my journalism career.)

These days, I don’t edit anything that goes to print. And it’s much easier to find and fix grammar mistakes and other errors.

I discovered that a spell checker and a readthrough, whether on screen or paper, isn’t enough.

I keep a self-editing checklist next to my desk. It contains a list of mistakes and other issues to watch out for.

I’d recommend doing the same if you’re writing or publishing online.

I can show you what’s on my checklist and help you create your own.

In a few days, I’m running a workshop you’ll like.

Master Self-Editing

Tickets cost $97.

We’ll start with common editing pitfalls, move to advanced techniques, and end with personalized feedback on your work.

I’ll run this 90-minute workshop live next Thursday at 1000 EST, and help you edit your work. If you can’t make it, I’ll send you a recording, but only if you’re a ticket holder. I’ve no plans to re-run the workshop.

Buy your ticket today

Write on,
Bryan Collins