THE LIGHTER SIDE: Main Page

The funny side of a fussy profession

Most people probably think of editors as humourless souls, too concerned with proper grammar, punctuation and word use to have any lively sense of life’s entertainment value. Sadly, our public image is of a bunch of dour obsessives, grimly dedicated to nothing but attacking your prose with red pens while bemoaning the decline of literacy.

But like any profession, editing DOES have its humorous aspects, and this section reveals some of them. For instance, if you've checked out my professional qualifications in About Me, take a look at More About Me to view the woman behind the work.

My personal view on various aspects of writing and editing are showcased in Antonia On Editing, in which I contemplate various aspects of my craft. And for a broader view of the subject, you can read a selection of other people’s views in Essays On Editing, where various writers and editors reflect on the process.

Quotes To Edit By offers a miscellany of editing-related wisdom and bons mots. And Editing Humour offers a few chuckles at the expense both of editors, and of the writers who fail to heed our timely cautions.

On the latter topic, check out the images below – the work of people from all walks of life, who needed (but alas, didn’t get) an editor’s services before making their writing public....
 

Teaching kids to spell is hard even WITHOUT confused highway crews.	...or you might start seeing extra apostrophes and letters on road signs.
It was several hours before a passing motorist told the staff the correct spelling of “peonies.”	Personally, I would never “marrey” a man who couldn’t spell properly.
God should give this guy the “strenght” to endure laser surgery, and the “nisdom” to find a new tattoo artist who knows how to spell.	If the painted word is gibberish, does that mean you're not legally required to stop? Can you just cruise right on through?