Headlines, deadlines & grammar
Note: Joel Cordes is Bleacher Report’s Internship Program Feedback Editor. Each week, he includes some hints and tips in an email to those participating in the B/R Sports Writing Internship. He also shares some of the “Mailbag” section of those emails here, as it can be helpful to all B/R writers.
“I noticed that some people use “would of” instead of “would have” in a sentence. Is this acceptable?”
“Would have” is the correct grammatical term. Those that use “would of” do so in error.
“I was a little skeptical of the title I was assigned. I figured there was a method, so I didn’t fight it. What would your advice be then in the future? Should I provide a more suitable title?”
Feel free to work together with your editors in crafting keyword heavy and creative headlines. You are always welcome to make suggestions on both the headline/angle during the assignment process.
Just make sure to get such alterations green-lit before publication. We do this to help you become comfortable/successful when you don’t have an assigning editor. (i.e. freelance, etc.)
“I was pushing toward a deadline and ultimately decided to focus more on content than polish. If in a position where you have to sacrifice either some content or some polish, which would you choose? Obviously neither is preferable, but when it’s impossible to write that perfect article, what do you think is more important?”
When it comes to prioritizing your energies for an article, attempt whatever you can do well. Where time is an issue, a list might be a little shorter and your analysis more concise (but not shallow). Whatever you write, make sure that it’s something you can present professionally.
Remember that editing at B/R can be done after publication too. So, if you have to publish by a certain time, do the best that you can, THEN go back and fine-tooth comb it after you’ve hit your deadline.
Don’t Forget:
- Proofread your stuff 3-5 times before publishing, with at least one of those being read out loud. If it doesn’t pass the “sounds good” test, it’s not going to read very well either. It seems elementary, and an awful lot of young writers “say” that they do this, but you can tell when it is and isn’t happening…
- Not only does your lede have to tell readers EXACTLY what the article is about (and match your headline/thesis) in 20 words, but your introduction slide better be the cleanest copy you have. Our Placement Editors and your readers in general won’t give much credence to an article with an obvious error in the first 100 words they see.