In a mistake-filled funk

A newborn kid/football season has thrown a kink into that plan for me.

rb

 

Oddly enough, I'm going through the same -- a newborn kid and, well, now basketball season.

 

It may be a concentration problem. You're writing your stuff too quickly without thinking everything through clearly, or re-reading your stuff too fast.
You possibly could need medication for attention deficit disorder.

 

I've got a bad case right now. Bad. If I were my boss, I'd be calling me into the office for a chat. Luckily, I have some time off soon before the most hectic month of the past four years begins.

Feel like I need to go stand under a landing 747 with Billy Bob Thornton and go flying and tumbling into clarity.

 

It's probably not as bad as you're thinking. My biggest mistakes come just after I think I'm doing well. It goes back to that old saying, "You're never as good or as bad as you think you are."

 

I agree, I've been in a rut myself lately and I can't help but dwell on it, even though I know it's unhealthy. I generally write a lot, so I'm thinking about maybe cutting down my stories to 17-18 inches instead of the standard 21-22 that I usually do.

What's good, I suppose, is that I hardly make the same mistake twice, but they're stupid mistakes that I feel are caused by fatigue, though I should know better.

 

Our copy editors at AJC are no longer accountable for any mistakes -- it is all on us.
If you're looking for a comb with specific teeth, here's our inhouse "green sheet" of questions to ask before turning in a story:

"
Did I:
Double-check all names, titles, dates, times and places mentioned in the story? Please note this by placing a CQ (which means you've double-checked this information) at the top of the file in notes mode or behind each name and other detail you've double-checked.

Call all phone numbers and log on to all web addresses mentioned in this story? Again, this needs to be noted with a CQ.

Do the math and verify it as correct? Note with CQ?

Fact-check all information provided to graphic artist and/or photographer?

Make a printout of this story to look over and correct by hand?"

 

What are they accountable for, if anything?

 

I've battled this now and then. Sleep always helps. I've been known to go days and days with only six hours of sleep. At some point, it catches up with me. Not only does it interrupt my concentration; it also affects my mood, skewing my view of the importance of a high school soccer match.

I also think I experience the occasional bout with burnout. With what I do, I rarely have the opportunity to write a front-page story. I can only write so many 12-inch gamers and matter-of-fact features before I yearn for a chance to break the big story or at least write a nice feature worthy of the front page.

If you're doing a lot of writing that might not be all that spectacular in its subject matter, you might request something larger. I've even done this with gamers. I'll just show up and tell myself that this particular game story is going to be the best I've ever written. It never is, but it's usually in the ballpark. Sometimes, I think we're just guilty of going through the motions.

 

Exactly what do the AJC copy editors do if they aren't accountable for mistakes in a story? What's the point of having editors at all, then, except for writing headlines and cutlines?

 

I guess maybe there's a difference between being responsible for missing something and trying to not miss something. I know of copy folks who almost never catch my mistakes, but there are a few who almost always catch them and call me to correct them.