EDITOR@WORK: Michael Jackson

Head(line) hunting: I was reading an online story about Jackson family members being unable to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland, Jackson's ranch. The story was fine, but the headline — Plan to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland fizzles — bothers me. Fizzles just doesn't work for the headline. It's a weak verb, and it's not dignified. They might have used "dies" instead.

Of course, they might have avoided "dies" intentionally.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

Friday, June 26, 2009

Upbeat lead

Nice lead: I think this is a good lead for a story on the death of Michael Jackson: The King of Pop seemed driven and upbeat in the weeks, even hours, before his death as he rehearsed rigorously for a series of 50 concerts in London that were to begin a late-career comeback.

Why? Upbeat is a perfect description for a singer/dancer/entertainer known as "The King of Pop." It is a bit long, though.

Head(line) hunting: I've heard some great and some cruel headlines when famous people died. People always joked that, when Mickey Mantle died, the headline would be "Mantle Traded To The Angels." The best I've seen was "Good Night, Sweet Prince" when two Shakespearean actors, Lawrence Olivier and John Gielgud, died.

Perhaps the best headline came from the N.Y. Times. It's long — "A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson Dies at 50".

Can you do something better?

Today's quote:

You write with ease to show your breeding,
But easy writing’s curst hard reading.
By Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816)

What does it mean? It seems to mean that you need to work harder to make the reading easier for the reader.

Web sighting: This isn't really about editing or proofreading, but it does involve writing (putting smartaleck captions on pictures). Check out Pundit Kitchen, which features a lot of interesting political photos and your opportunity to put big wheels in their place (behind their backs, of course).

Wrong word: "White has the lightening speed and athleticism." I think the writer was looking for lightning.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com BLUESKY: PROFILE