Received here via e-mail

I remember my first editing assignment.  It was for a magazine that is read by more than 600,000 readers.  My supervisor and coworkers warned me that I would make a blunder–perhaps more than one.  Determination and strong will took over.  This would not happen to me.  But it did.  The text was flawless.  The footnotes were without blemish.  Nothing was wrong with the title.  Below the title, in the deck (that’s that large type section that amplifies the title and lets the reader know what the article is all about), was an error.  Fortunately, the proofreader caught the error before it went to the printer.

My friends had a laugh on me.  They explained that it is easy to miss the problems in the large type when you are tightly focused on the small print.  Isn’t that the truth?  It is all too easy to get so wrapped up in the details of life that we miss problems in the big things.

Writing headlines is an art.  The writer’s job is to tell and tease.  Tell the reader what the story is about and yet tease, so the reader wants to know more.  When well done, the result is a beautiful creation.  When poorly done . . . well, just read the following list of headlines from an e-mail sent by my friend, Roy.

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Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
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Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
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Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
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Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
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Miners Refuse to Work after Death
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Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
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War Dims Hope for Peace
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If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
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Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
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Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide 
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Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
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Man Struck By Lightning:  Faces Battery Charge
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Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
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Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
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Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
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Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
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Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
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Can you find a favorite here?  And will the lightning-struck man get his battery charged?