Published September 22, 2025
Newsrooms have too many mean-spirited people and moments and not enough kind ones, for my money, and I regret I’ve let myself get drawn into that mindset and behavior. It’s a tough, polarizing, isolating business, though, so I do understand how it can happen.
Plus, it’s fun to show off your knowledge of grammar and language and the AP Stylebook and the “rules” and make someone feel like they know less than you, right? Those readers who leave those comments — you know the ones — don’t know much, do they?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this since a good friend and great editor put me in mind of a couple of scenes from the seventh episode of the first season of “Deadwood.” The first scene comes amid a smallpox outbreak and the good fortune of having secured a vaccine. The local paper has the story, and it’s just a matter of putting the finishing touches on it.
Now that that’s settled, let’s see how the story came out in print.
What does this have to do with toilet paper? I’m about to tell you.
About a month ago, I posted this online.
If you prefer a breakout quote, here you go:
As an editor, I don’t want to be a language cop, a hall monitor, a surgeon, a know-it-all, or any of the Linkedin descriptions I’ve seen from heavy-handed editors. I want to be the woman who sees you walk out of the powder room toward your date with TP stuck to your shoe and stealthily steps on it.
Where did that come from? I’m about to show you.
That’s from the 2000 movie “Bounce.”
Don’t rub someone’s nose in it
If at all possible, I fix the problem if there is one, even if it’s only a “problem” to the bosses, and get on with my life. There’s no point lording it over a writer or another editor.
If it’s something they need to know, I tell them, but I assume everyone would prefer not to be walking somewhere with toilet paper stuck to their shoe. So, step, stop it, shhh.
I’ve fixed a lot of things without making sure anyone knew about it. Not everyone is like that.
So there you go. A pro tip from me — free, gratis.
Sending love and hoping for peace.
♥
Thank you
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Photo of a woman with toilet paper stuck to her boot by Matt Benoit via Shutterstock.
Nicole Perry Brown
This is lovely. And it’s just what I strive for as an editor. I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad. I’m not trying to show off my knowledge. I’m making sure the writing is clear, concise, and as polished as I can make it. I call myself a reader advocate, but I’m also a writer’s helper — I look after the little details so they can focus on the big picture. Thanks, also, for those clips; I’ve seen both Bounce and Deadwood, but forgot these little moments.
Hope you are well. You are often in my thoughts.