My Inner Nerd

"What's the deal? Don't you have anything to say?" my friend asked me today.

Are you kidding? Usually when I don't write is when I'm trying to filter.

My brain is full and I'm doing just that. Filtering.

In light of said filtering...here's a little bit of light writing.

When I was first registering for college, I was one of the few who actually knew what I wanted to major in. I also managed to stay interested in that subject matter (journalism) throughout college, and obviously, now.

The first thing I was ordered to buy was an AP Stylebook. I was told it would become my "Bible" of sorts to my career in journalism. And so it came to be. My baby blue, spiral bound book went everywhere with me. For practice, red pens and newspapers were always available as a challenge if we ever had time in class. Say, after a test. I LOVED this. In fact, I still get a little giddy when I find an error in a periodical. I know...little freaky. I'm okay with that.

Back to my stylebook...I still have it (somewhere) and when I DID know where it was, I referred back to it often. Since I'm unable to locate it right now, I'll just list a few of my favorite rules of writing I remember. Plus, looking for my faves on my iPhone app would give me a headache. Yes. They have an app for that, too.

The AP Stylebook refers to the Associated Press's standards for writing. There are definite circumstances these rules differ from English writing. Or rather how an English teacher writes. And grades. Believe me. Obviously, in journalism, be it newspaper, magazine, billboard or television...they want you to use as few words as possible to get the point across. When I switched from PR to Marketing later on in life... I discovered the big difference. Namely...adjectives!

Regardless, the way I write is based on AP style. And, as I mentioned, here are a few notables. Some are very elementary, though I've seen many writings on Facebook, text, etc...totally messing these up so I thought why not:

Affect vs. Effect: Usually, you use affect with an "a" as a verb and effect with an "e" as a noun. One way I remembered it was "a" comes before "e" in the alphabet. Affect is usually the what brings (influences) an Effect. Get it? A before E?

Commas in a list: When making a list of items, a comma isn't needed before the word "and" or "or". Example: Don't forget the towels, sunscreen and water. Why? The word "and" or "or" is enough to separate the last two items. Again...it's all about "less is more".

That: This one's easy. Simply put, "that" is one of the most overused words in writing. Oftentimes, it is not necessary in a sentence. Example: It is not that necessary in this sentence. This one will forever be ingrained in your brain now! So be fair warned.

Numbers: Another easy one. Spell out the numbers one through nine. Numbers 10 and above use Arabic numerals. Exception: When they start a sentence. See? Easy.

Dates: Always use Arabic numerals. And do not use the "th, rd, st, nd"! Only abbreviate the months Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. when using with a numeral. Finally, when just using a month and a year, don't use a comma. Example: November 1966.

Apostrophe: Oh boy...where do I start?!
• For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe: the girls' toys, states' rights.

• For singular common nouns ending ins, add's: the hostess's invitation, the witness's answer.

• For singular proper names ending ins, use only an apostrophe:Descartes' theories, Kansas' schools.


• For singular proper names ending in s sounds such as x, ce,and z, use 's: Marx's theories, the prince's life.

• For plurals of a single letter, add's: Mind your p's and q's, the Red Sox defeated the Oakland A's.

• Do not use 's for plurals of numbers, or multiple letter combinations: the 1980s, RBIs.


See what happens when I filter? Aren't you sorry you asked?!

Enjoy and happy writing.