Full disclaimer: I haven’t worked for a daily newspaper since 2003. But back in the day, I lived and dreamed in AP style. Spellcheck was a hindrance tool that only slowed me down.
I knew which cities could stand alone in a dateline, and I knew the abbreviations for the states for those cities that needed attribution. I was one of the editors that reporters on deadline would shout questions to, like: “Is die-hard hyphenated?” (Quick answer: It is.) AP style came as naturally to me as breathing.
Unfortunately, style is a skill you need to practice to maintain. Just like endurance gained from distance running, if you don’t work out those mental muscles, they get flabby and soft.
This week I started a new job as an interim copy editor for a group of small community publications in Wisconsin. I felt oh-so confident logging on Monday morning with a fresh cup of coffee beside me and dozens of stories to polish. I very *VERY* quickly realized that without my trusty stylebook in hand, I’m about as useful as an eraserless pencil. My news brain, it turns out, has turned to cellulite.
Fortunately my new editor seems very accommodating and forgiving. And it actually feels amazing to be working on live copy again. With the help of Google and the newspaper archives, I’ve been able to work my way through the week without pulling out all of my hair. And I look forward to tackling some heftier projects with this company soon. (Even though this is cutting in a bit to my fiction writing time!)
But in the meantime, I can’t wait for my new 2017 edition AP Stylebook to arrive.