The AP Style book reminds me a lot of my older brother due
to the fact that just went I feel that I get something right, he beats me back
down again. I have learned a lot of things from my brother and not all of them
have been bad. But just like the AP Style book, he has taught me how to do
things the right way. Because if you do them the wrong way, you are going to
look like a fool and have to go back and fix them.
Numbers have always been something that I have struggled
with as a reporter, especially with sports and press releases. Is it 4 home
runs or four? I would always choose 4 because I felt that it would be easier
for the reader but boy was I wrong. Until you get to 10, you have to spell it
out and now I think it looks better.
It has also taught me that I need to do it the right way and
not my way. Because my way isn’t going to look as good and may drive my editors
crazy. There are rules for a reason and those rules are to help me become a
better writer and editor. From the feedback that I received from writers that I
have talked to is just how important following the AP Style book is. Most
readers can tell when you do something wrong and they may never read your stuff
again because of that.
When to write out numbers used to mix me up too. This class has clarified it for me, and your blog helped as an additional reminder that I need to spell number until I hit 10.
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