CarlyJDubois.com

22Sep

Banned Books Week begins with the appropriate mug for tonight’s editing shift

There is only one mug I can drink from while I edit this afternoon and tonight.

20Sep

Thinking about when someone writes ‘individual’ when ‘person’ would do just fine

Published September 20, 2024

When I read or hear “individual” in journalism, as in “police described the individual” a certain way, I just assume police language is being parroted reflexively by reporters so conditioned to doing so that they don’t realize it.

I prefer “person” to “individual” in much the same way I prefer “buy” to “purchase,” “find” to “locate,” “use” to “utilize” and other similar examples when the plain-language version would do. It’s my educated guess that people like to use the fancy word to make things sound more important. A predawn vertical insertion is still an invasion, unless it’s a practice invasion.

What are your thoughts when you see “individual” when “person” would be fine? What are your thoughts after reading this? Do you think, “Wow, Carly is an individual in need of a life”?

A version of this post first appeared on LinkedIn. Editing tips here are mine unless noted.

Image of blocks spelling journalism by Polarpx via Shutterstock.

19Sep

I think often about heavy-handed editing now that I try to have a lighter touch

What internal conflict was I engaged in instead of improving a piece of writing from a place of love and empathy?

18Sep

One person, 5 million people, and trying to keep it all manageable

When your job is to sweat the small stuff, it can be overwhelming. The reality is that amid deadlines, you usually have to prioritize.

17Sep

The one where ‘The West Wing’ helps me dig a little deeper into my editing philosophy

Every once in a while, there is an important edit that anyone could make. The rest of the time is when you earn your keep as an editor.

16Sep

Antiracist language guide is one of several resources like it in my toolkit

Speech bubble made up from hundreds of words

Someone asked, “Why does everything have to be about race?” Increasingly, my answer is, “Because everything *is* about race.”

15Sep

Do you let your writers sit on the couch?

It’s okay to let language stretch and breathe. It has always done so anyway without asking for our permission.

09Sep

Awards are not what I’m most proud of as I review my career

Stacks of old newspapers printed on paper with news and headlines

I’m writing this for me. By any of today’s guidelines and metrics, it’s too long. But it feels like the right way to take stock of my career.

06Sep

It’s funny how writing can be a chore, and chores can be writing

An opinion piece about chores and spirituality put me in mind of a time when I found a connection between seemingly unrelated things.

28Aug

Enforcing escalation in writing is a worthy exercise but harder than it sounds

You’d probably want to avoid modeling almost anything in your life after anything in “Lucky Hank” except maybe some writing tips.