Rockin’ the Punctuation with Guns N’ Roses + Upcoming Time Off

This month’s issue covers proper punctuation of band names and why accuracy matters. Plus a communications book rec.

Band Names: Where Does the Punctuation Go?

Someone I heard speak recently brought up the song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” He said he was pretty sure it was by Guns N’ Roses. Wrong. Poison.

I forgave him. Moving on…

He again mentioned the (wrong) band name later in his talk. And because I’m a word nerd, this led me down the path of how Guns N’ Roses writes their band name. Is it…

Guns N Roses
Guns ‘n Roses
Guns ‘N’ Roses

Apostrophes commonly stand for missing letters: Think of “I’m” where the ’ represents the a that’s dropped when you make the contraction. So ‘n’ would make sense to replace the a and d. But I knew that didn’t look right.

As it turns out, all of those listed above are wrong. It’s:

Guns N’ Roses

From my husband's personal collection. Note they drop the apostrophe in this design.

Who cares?

Well, the band does for one. Discerning fans likely do too. And if your audience is made up of those discerning fans, it pays to be accurate.

Why accuracy matters

Whether it’s in a band name like GNR (no apostrophe in the abbreviation), a company name like P&G (not P and G), or a location name like Westward Ho! in the UK (yes, it really does have the ! in its name), accuracy matters because:

It shows you’re on top of things! (Also called being professional)
It helps to build trust and credibility with your audiences.
Inaccuracy can make you look foolish, careless, or lazy.

There’s a difference between making a mistake and being careless. Be careful as much as possible and your mistakes will be fewer.

As a wise friend of mine once said…

Mistakes are inevitable. Carelessness is not.

Check It Out: Book Rec

Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less

This quick read has some great reminders on writing tight. If you or your team needs a refresher on grabbing the attention of readers and getting them to remember your messages, read this.

(Ignore the parts that make it sound like a sales ad for the authors' writing tool.)

Something You Might Not Know About Me...

I’ve been out searching for family graves three different times in the past several months. I wouldn’t have called myself a grave hunter prior to this, but…maybe I am?

My Schedule

Currently booking projects for 1Q25
Out of the office Nov. 27-29, Dec. 20-27, Dec. 31-Jan. 2

Recent Work

I got to write about a first-of-its-kind organ transplant several months back. The story featured new technology, a great surgical team, and a positive outcome for the teen patient. It was such a privilege to work on this article!

What’s up with you? I'd love to hear about it. Some things you might want to share:

When’s the last time you listened to a big hair band?
What bands can you think of with research-worthy punctuation in their names? (Portugal. The Man comes to mind. I love that unexpected period.)
Have you ever been grave hunting?

Reply to this email or comment here.

Thanks for reading!