All that fuss over caption writing

WRITING FANTASTIC CAPTIONS

Writing good captions is an art. Everybody outside the newpaper office thinks it is the easiest thing to do next to wiping your face with a tissue. Wrong. Great captions fire the imagination of the reader.
It doesn't tell you what you are already seeing. The precious as gold caption is witty, makes you laugh and leaves a satisfied feeling in your tummy.
If you have a picture of two nuns crossing the street. One of them in the picture is holding on to her crucifix. What are you going to tell your reader? See, I told you it won't be easy.
Don't make fun of the nuns. The Catholic Church won't be amused. The idea is to make it tasteful and pleasant without sounding like you are just a smart alec who needs a smack on the head.
The catch is to make the caption short and sweet. Some captions are too long, some are too short. Don't make a caption so long that the reader runs out of breath. He won't forgive you or the newspaper you are working for. And if your boss finds out, you may just be the company's new office boy.
One tip on writing captions. Buy the best gossip magazines in the magazine racks. Some of them have some of the best captions in the world. No harm in learning from others. You need all the help you can get.
Also, develop a cheerful outlook on life. People like that normally make good caption writers.