They constantly begin a quote this way: Joe Schmoe, owner of so-and-so restaurant, says, "Blah de blah de blah." I change that to this: "Blah de blah de blah," says Joe Schmoe, owner of so-and-so restaurant.
The other big rookie mistake is NOT CHECKING FOR ERRORS. And, yes, veterans make this mistake, too. Yesterday, I re-read one of my stories and found two factual errors. I would have been embarrassed if I hadn't doublechecked.
Like rookies, veteran writers sometimes assume that "everyone" knows a bit of information, and sometimes we insert misinformation in an article without looking it up first.
They're all rookie mistakes, and I point them out when I'm editing. My goal is to educate them in the ways of professional publications. On the other hand, those writers do some things I like, and I need to mention that, too. * * *
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