“Think of a headline,” Any headline…found on clicked.msnbc.msn.com
I just received a fantastically humorous email from a relative who shared a few newspaper headlines (like the one to the right) gone awry. I laughed out loud when I read:
“Missippi’s literacy program shows improvement,” via the Life Without Frank blog. (Though, I read it so fast, I had to stop to notice Mississippi was missing a couple crooked letters.)
I also got a kick out of:
“Statistics show that teen pregnancy drops off significantly after age 25,” via Elanadeis.com. (Now, I’m not a mathematician, but I’m pretty sure it would drop off at least five years earlier.)
And, I thought this one was a gas:
“Federal Agents Raid Gun Shop, Find Weapons,” via Sodahead.com. (Well, duh!)
Whether these headlines display a slight form of idiocy or simple fatigue, they prove that writers can have “off” days. In fact, many of us have more than we’d care to admit. I’ll go a step further and say that most of us often think in terms similar to the headline in the photo (pictured above):
“Think of an article; a 500-2000 word gripping, eloquent, effective article. One that informs and makes its readers take action. Just one article, that’s all I ask, and I’ll never ask for anything again!”
Of course, we ask this of ourselves (or of the one we pray to) just a few days after we asked about last week’s article. Some “off” weeks, we must even ask two, three or four times, though that usually goes something like, “Think of a post; any 100-300 word gripping, eloquent, effective and slightly funny post. One that informs and makes its readers take action and want to come back for more. Just one post, that’s all I ask, and I’ll do my best to not need to ask again, but I also won’t hold my breath.”
Oh, I’m feeling this today. Think of a way to finish this chapter, an eloquent funny and moving way to wrap up this chapter (and a blog post wouldn’t hurt either).
And, it always seems like we’re juggling multiple requests on various topics for numerous publications, too! But we love it. What’s wrong with us? Haha.
Thanks for the headlines, Brandi! i needed to start the day off with a good laugh!
I was going to say it’s because all the copy-editors got laid off, but I think this phenom has been going on for years, so that explanation doesn’t really work.