Here's why: your article sucks.

I'm finally starting to realize what I want to be when I grow up. At least I have a more justifiable answer for what I hope to accomplish with my journalism degree when I'm bombarded with questions at extended family get-togethers or in professional situations, anyway. My standard response, "I want to write for a magazine or newspaper," seems to be too generic these days. (I used to say, "I want to be a theatre critic," because that was/is my dream job. Becoming an experienced critic takes time and practice (and perhaps more importantly, a lucky break), so while I still believe in striving to achieve my goal, I have to be realistic and start small.)

When it comes to writing, I love to revise and edit. I have always been an intensely critical individual -- very detail-oriented and a perfectionist. Sometimes I can't write a blog entry in under two hours simply because I'm tinkering with grammar and style. I suppose this is why I feel that I would make a great theatre critic--extremely visual + obnoxiously picky = success. I notice everything -- people's new hairstyles, clothing, attitudes, misuses of commas, incorrect uses of "that" and "which," and their poor sentence structure. It all irritates me. I have been thinking about my attraction to correcting writing often as of late. It fascinates me how much pleasure I get from revising my cover letters, resumes and online entries. Similarly, I rarely pass up an opportunity to proofread another person's work -- usually much to their displeasure, as I can be quite critical both copy- and content-wise. While speaking to my uncle's fiance, who is a journalist herself, this past weekend, we came to the mutual conclusion that I should focus myself on becoming a copyeditor. After all, I have "the personality of a copy editor," she said. "Anal and bitchy."

This discovery excites me about journalism for the first time in years. It also intimidates me a bit, because I am not trained specifically in copy editing. Yes, I have taken an editing course, and I excelled in the Traditional Grammar course that I took for "fun" during my final semester, but as far as an actual copy-editing course, I'm lacking. Much of what a copy editor does is common sense, though, as long as you have a firm understanding of the English language. Sadly not enough people have that these days; I've read articles in local (and national) newspapers that make me cringe. Fortunately I possess the basic skills, and I know that not every copy editor knows every rule and that not every rule is necessarily correct or used at a certain publication. Do they use AP style or Chicago style? Do they, like the Washington Post or The New York Times, have their own stylebooks? The trick is to familiarize myself with the language, the fundamental rules and the knowledge that a wide variety of references exist designed specifically for copy editors.

I recently joined a fantastic journalism and media Web site -- Mediabistro.com. While the site offers news and information for journalists nationwide, it is also very New York-centric, a trait I value as my search for a job in the city continues. I enjoy Mediabistro.com because it not only offers jobs and articles, but also opportunities to attend seminars and enroll in classes (both on-line and on-site) as well. Yesterday I found what sounded like an incredible copy-editing course online beginning next Thursday. Unfortunately the class is $425 and closed. Disappointed in the missed opportunity, I am excited that my two new grammar/copy-editing books arrived the same day -- Strunk and White's The Elements of Style (How I admire E.B. White.) and Bill Walsh's Lapsing Into a Comma: A Curmudgeon's Guide to the Many Things That Can Go Wrong in Print--and How to Avoid Them. I'll most likely read these books cover to cover, as they interest me more than the latest best seller.

Entry has now been edited eight times.